The Wasteland Life
by Bren Tenkage
Summary: Follow Bren as the Lone Wanderer has he travels the Wasteland to either save or destroy what is important to him and everyone else. Rated M for Language, violence, and so on. Includes the DLC for Fallout 3. Chapters now being Redone and improved.
1. Ten and Growing

The Wasteland Life

AN V.2: This is the first of many chapters I will be remaking, to those who are followers you will see new changes, to those who are starting out, well sorry you can't see my original work. To those who are not familiar with this story, it is about Bren as the lone Wanderer, the story is loosely based on the gameplay, including the DLC, so there are spoilers. However there will be new characters and new things that happen. So with that said, enjoy.

"_War. War never changes. Since the dawn of human kind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything, from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage. _

_In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world - but war, war never changes. _

_In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters, known as vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wastes to greet them - all except those in Vault 101. For on the fateful day, when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door of Vault 101 slid closed... and never reopened. It was here you were born. It is here you will die. Because, in Vault 101: no one ever enters and no one ever leaves. "_

July 13, 2268

"Happy Birthday Bren" a voice said as a young ten year old boy, in his child Vault 101 looked at the people in the dining hall. They all looked at the young man who was black haired and smiling his face full of joy as he saw all his friends cheer for him. This was Bren.

"Happy Birthday Son" A man said, this was James, he had a rough beard and slightly gray hair, but you can see that he was Bren's father.

"Thanks dad" Bren said when a slightly older gentleman who was the Overseer walked to Bren holding what looks to be a wristband with a TV screen in it

"Bren, now that you turned 10, you have earned the Pip-boy 3000, everyone in the vault gets one as a sign of being a man or woman, and to become a hard working member of the vault" He said placing the device on Bren's arm

"Learn to enjoy it; because it isn't coming off" He added "Tomorrow you will get your first job to help the vault"

With that he walked off to talk to the other guests leaving Bren with his dad

"Ok Son, why don't you go talk to your friends, enjoy the party, you don't get to be 10 every day you know" James said with a slight chuckle in his voice he watched as Bren walked over to his friend Amata

"Hey Bren, guess what I got you" She said

"I have no idea" Bren said genuinely having no idea what she got him for his birthday

She pulls from behind her back a comic book

"Grognak the Barbarian, issue 14" she said handing it to Bren who eyed the cover of a burly man in a loincloth, he was overhand swinging a broad axe trying to swing at a dark mage in black robes, behind the mage was a captive girl who was tied up

"Alright, I really wanted to know what happened to him when he got captured by the Necromancer Mannimarco" Bren said smiling walking to his other guests

Bren first walked to the old lady Palmer

"Oh hello Bren how are you enjoying your party?" She asked, her voice full of age and wisdom

"I'm having fun uh do you have my present?" Bren asked

Palmer didn't get mad but instead chuckled

"I remember when I was your age and I wanted my presents too, here, have a sweet roll, I made it this morning and you don't even have to share it" She said handing Bren the confectionary treat.

"Thanks" Bren said giving her a quick hug and he went off to mingle with more guests.

Palmer chuckled again

"That Bren is turning out to be quite a gentleman, just like his father when he first came here" She said to herself chuckling some more.

Bren walked past the punk kid Butch and his gang, they seemed preoccupied discussing something about naming their group.

"How about the Vault Dwellers?" One of them suggested

Butch shot it down, "Who would want to be called a Vault Dweller?" Butch said

Bren walked over to the maintenance worker Stanly who was sipping some coffee

"Oh hey champ how you liking that new Pip-boy?" He asked

"You made it?" Bren asked

"Fixed it, yeah, found it busted up but I got it to work, a little basic but reliable and tough, you could even drop a bomb on it and it won't break" He said laughing at the comment

"Thanks" Bren said

"Don't mention it, oh and here I got you another gift" Stanley said putting on Bren's head a baseball cap.

"Wow thanks" Bren said walking off

"Good kid good kid" Stanley said getting back to his coffee

"Now let's cut the cake" Andy the Mr. Handy robot said revving up his buzz saw

"Wait no" James shouted but it was too late, Andy buzz sawed the cake in half, raining frosting and coconut filling on everyone

"Great, now what do eat?" Butch said, he turned to Bren and noticed in his hand the sweet roll

"Give me your sweet roll" He demanded

"Why? It's mine, but if you want I will share it" Bren said trying to be nice

"No way, you're giving it to me right now" He said and he punched Bren in the shoulder

"Hey break it up" An officer Gomez said grabbing Butch's arm

"You ok sport?" He asked Bren pulling Butch aside

"Yeah, he wanted my sweet roll and I offered to share but he hit me" Bren explained

"Don't worry, I will make sure to punish him" He said patting Bren on the head

"Son come here" James said to Bren

"Yes dad?" Bren asked

"I need you to go to the reactor and talk to Jonas, he has a gift for you, I will be there shortly" he said

"Ok" Bren said smiling and he walked off past the Overseer and Gomez who were talking

"Damn brat, I only came because he is friends with my daughter, and she wanted me to come" the Overseer said to Gomez obviously annoyed being at this party

"Come on, Amata and Bren are good friends, at least be happy for him" Gomez said to him

"Bite your tongue, I don't want any rift raft in my vault" the Overseer said silencing the officer

Bren walked into the hall where he bumped into Beatrice, the always happy woman

"Oh hey Bren, sorry I'm late, I got a gift" She said handing him a piece of paper

"What is it?" Bren asked

"It's a poem I wrote, a Beatrice original, I hope you like it" She said

"Uh thanks" Bren said not knowing what to say, even at his age he knew Beatrice was a little weird, even for a girl.

Beatrice walked past Bren to talk to the guests and Bren looked at the poem,

"_Gray Walls, impenetrable steel.  
Suffocation! Condemnation!  
Little hands groping in subterranean uncertainty.  
Mommy? Daddy? Am I Dead?_

_Nay! Nay! Reborn into purifying fluorescence!_

_A face emerges, strong and male._

_Father to me? Father to all!_

_Overseeing our lives, our eternities.  
Harshness of discipline.  
Harshness of love_

_Obedience my savior!_

_Larva to pupa, pupa to worker.  
Buzz, buzz! One with the steel honeycomb.  
10 lies within the 101, significant at last.  
Till gray seeps from the walls to hair, to soul.  
Then, eternal slumber, the sweet sleep of incineration." _

He couldn't understand all the words so the poem made no sense, he decided to throw away the paper at the nearest trash can and continue down to the reactor.

In the Reactor Bren saw the African American scientist Jonas Palmer

"Hey you're not supposed to be in here" Jonas said to Bren frowning at him

"But my dad said to come down here" Bren said nervously

There was a pause and all of a sudden Jonas laughed like he just told a joke

"I'm just pulling your leg, don't worry, once you have that Pip-Boy you are allowed down here" Jonas said pointing to Bren's arm

"Jonas stop messing with my son" James said walking down the steps, in his hand was a BB gun

"Son, this is my gift to you, I found it a while back and repaired it, took me a while to find a spring small enough for it, good thing Butch _"lost"_ his switchblade" he said chuckling and handing the gun to Bren

"Thanks dad, but aren't guns prohibited in the vault?" Bren asked he remembered the rules that the Overseer told them on the first day of elementary school

"True, but that's why we made a secret target room" Jonas said showing Bren a storage room where some targets were set up

"Go on, give it a shot" James said handing Bren the gun

Bren fired a few times, missing a few shots but a little time and a few words of encouragement he got the hand of it and nailed the 3 targets

"Uh oh, radroach" James said as a radroach scurried out from the maze of crates and out into the open

Bren fired some shots and killed the roach

"Nicely done, hey Jonas, get a picture of me and the big game hunter" James said and Jonas took the picture of the duo, both were smiling together as the flash blinded them.


	2. The Goat and the Escape

August 3, 2274

Inside the medical office Bren and his Dad were talking about taking the G.O.A.T. or the Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test.

"Alright Bren, now don't worry about the test, it is only going to tell you what you are good at in the Vault" James explained

Bren nodded his head, his black hair now longer in the form of a mullet, and his face still holding the joy he had when he was just a kid.

"Here how about I give you a good luck charm" James said handing him a Vault Boy Bobblehead, this one held a large Syringe and on the bottom it said, "The smart man knows a bandage only hide his wounds"

"Sound advice" Bren thought pocketing the Bobblehead.

"Good luck son, just don't come back if you find out you're a garbage burner" James said chuckling; Bren chuckled too and walked past Jonas who went into the office to talk to his Dad.

Jonas looked back to Bren who was walking away

"Think we should tell him?" Jonas asked

"No, it would be better if he didn't know" James said

Bren continued through the hallways when he noticed Butch and his gang harassing Amata

"Hey Amata, come with me into the closest and I will show you a real tunnel snake" He said to her

The Tunnel Snakes were the name of his Gang, how he chose a name like that is beyond Bren, but they had Jackets with a snake on the back making an S.

"Leave me alone" Amata said, but she couldn't escape from them as they surrounded her

"Oh is little Overseer daughter gonna cry?" Wally said mockingly wiping his tears

"My father doesn't give me special treatment" She said trying to get away

"Leave the lady alone Butch" Bren said glaring at the group

Butch cracked his knuckles and his neck

"Or what, you gonna fight me and my gang?" He asked

"Just you and me, winner decides Amata's fate" Bren said

"Deal, I'm gonna have fun tonight, am I right boys?" Butch said and the guys laughed

Butch ran at Bren and swung a punch but Bren dodged and struck his side

"Not a bad move Brenny, too bad I'm tougher" Butch said slamming his knee into Bren's Side knocking him to the ground

"And now for the final blow" Butch said but then Bren moved to the side just as the punch was thrown causing Butch to do a tough punch into the tile floor

"OH FUCK!" Butch shouted as he clutched his right hand

Bren got up and punched Butch right in the chest

"That was for Amata, now leave her alone, or I will do more damage to you then that" Bren said and Butch and his gang walked into the classroom muttering threats of revenge

"Thanks Bren, if you didn't arrive…." Amata didn't want to finish the sentence

"It's ok, now I think we should go take our G.O.A.T. now" Bren said to Amata

They walked into the class room and took their seat

"Now that everyone is here, we can start the test, now there are no right or wrong answers, just do what feels right, now let's begin" The Teacher Mr. Brotch said

**Question 1**

You are approached by a frenzied vault scientist, who yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?

Bren decided on 1 "But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?"

**Question 2**

While working as an intern in the clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do?

Bren decided on 3 Medicate the infected area to the best of your abilities, it made the most sense

**Question 3**

You discover a young boy lost in the lower levels of the vault. He's hungry and frightened, but also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do?

1 Give the boy a hug and tell him everything will be ok, was the answer. Besides he was just a kid, why punish him too much

**Question 4**

Congratulations! You made one of the Vault 101 baseball teams! Which position do you prefer?

Bren hated sports but he decided on 3 Designated Hitter only because he is good with a bat (he even beat Butch in Baseball when they need him to even the teams one time)

**Question 5**

Your Grandmother invites you to tea, but you're surprised when she gives you a pistol and orders you to kill another vault resident. What do you do?

Bren was surprised on, first off why would grandma (if he had one) ask for this

2 Offer your most prized possession in exchange for the vault resident's life, was his only choice

**Question 6**

Old Mr. Abernathy has locked himself in his quarters again, and you've been ordered to get him out. How do you proceed?

Bren chuckled as he picked 2 Trade a vault hoodlum for his cherry bomb and blow open the lock. And as an added bonus he drew a quick doodle of a scared Abernathy with the door being blown up

**Question 7**

Oh no! You've been exposed to radiation, and a mutated hand has grown out of your stomach! What's the best course of treatment?

2 Large Doses of anti-mutagen agent, was chosen, besides what else can he pick that won't kill him, although a third hand would be interesting

**Question 8**

A fellow Vault 101 resident is in possession of a Grognak the Barbarian comic book, issue number 1. You want it. What's the best way to obtain it?

1 Trade the comic book for one of your own valuable possessions, of course it didn't matter to Bren, he already had issues 1-17

**Question 9**

You decide it would be fun to play a prank on your father. You enter his private restroom when no one is looking, and...

1 Loosen some bolts on some pipes. When the sink is turned on, the room will flood. Of course Bren once did this in the past, so far no one has ever figured out it was him

**Question 10**

Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?

All 4 answers were the same, The Overseer

The first thought that went through Bren's head "Are you serious?"

Bren decided on 3 The Overseer.

"Ok Pencils down, that was the infamous goat, the rest of the day, is yours" Brotch said

Bren was first up and he handed the paper to Brotch

"Hmm….They say the G.O.A.T never lies. According to this, you're slated to be the next vault ... Chaplain. God help us all." Brotch said to Bren

"No kidding? Well its better then trash burner" Bren replied

"That is true, that is true" Brotch replied

White out.

August 17, 2277

"ake up ren….wake up Bren" was what Bren heard and when he opened his eyes he saw Amata shaking him to get up

"What's going on?" Bren asked half asleep

"Your dad left the vault, everyone is looking for you, they think you are a part of this" She said quickly

That woke Bren right up

"Are you joking? Please tell me it is April first" Bren said

"I'm not….they killed Jonas" Amata said with tears in her eyes

"No…." Bren said, he was speechless, Jonas was like an older brother, he told him all sorts of tips on repairing items, fire arms (small fire arms as big guns were never found in this vault) and woman, of course those lessons were between guys, and in "special" magazines.

"Listen, you have to get out of here, the Overseer….my dad will be looking for you, take this pistol, you might need it" She said to Bren handing him a 10mm pistol with some cartons of ammo, along with a few bobby pins for lock picking

"Bren, I have to go, be safe" She said running off

Bren took a moment to get his nerves, so he got up, got dressed into his vault uniform, tied his long hair back into a pony tail (Bren grew his hair longer and kept it tied back, he found it to be cool that way) and grabbed his Vault Tec Backpack and began to pack his stuff into it, his bobble head, his birthday issue of Grognak, his baseball bat, and his BB gun with all the ammo he had, along with 4 bottles of water just incase

"Time to go" Bren said to himself as he walked out but then he saw to his horror one of the Security officers being overrun by radroaches, in seconds they killed him and turned his attention on Bren

"Back off" Bren shouted as he swung his back on them smashing them into the ground, they made a sickening crunch and stained his bat with light green blood, it was tough to find a good bat in the vault

"Are they gone" a familiar voice asked and Bren saw Butch around a corner

"Yeah they are Butch, now if you don't mind I have to go" Bren said turning to walk off

"Wait, my mother is in trouble, radroaches are around her, you need to save her" Butch pleaded to Bren

"I should because why?" Bren asked, a normal person would laugh at the irony but Bren wasn't cruel, he just wanted to know the reason why Butch wouldn't just fight them off

"Alright I admit it, I'm scared of radroaches" Butch admitted

"You, the leader of the Tunnel Snakes, come on, you define fear, and your telling me a bunch of oversized bugs scare you" Bren said, he decided it would be best for Butch to learn on his own to face his fears

Butches face lit up

"Bren you are right, hand me that bat and I will show you how a Tunnel Snake rumbles in this town" Butch said and Bren handed him his bat and followed Butch to his dorm

"TAKE THIS YOU FUCKING ROACHES" Butch shouted as he crushed the roaches into the ground, his mother must have been drunk because she was looking dizzy and not paying attention to the bites on her arms and legs

"That's right, who's the man?" Butch asked

"You are Butch" Bren said high fiving Butch

"Here Bren, thanks for the loan, also I want you to have this" Butch said taking off his jacket and handing it to Bren along with the bat

"You are an Honorary Tunnel Snake, and don't worry we didn't see anything" Butch said, Bren then put the Jacket on around his Uniform and smiled as he ran off through the hallways.

He could see the lights flickering and the alarm sound blaring throughout his trip. He kept sneaking around, smashing any radroaches he sees along the way when he came near his Dad's office and saw as officer Gomez smashing radroaches and Andy torching them.

Gomez turned to Bren

"Bren you're alright, thank goodness I thought they were going to hurt you" He said

"What's going on?" Bren asked

"Your father left and now the Overseer is going crazy, listen you have to leave the Vault it isn't safe for you, I'm sorry. But don't worry I didn't see anything" He said

"Thanks Officer" Bren said continuing forward through into the Atrium.

He stood back and watched as two fellow Vault dweller s tried to get help from some officers but were instead gunned down.

"What the hell?" Bren thought, he pulled out his own pistol and slowly made his way closure to them.

He fired four times, each shot in the officer's legs forcing them to the ground.

"Stay down" He said as the officers watched him leave them there.

They then noticed some radroaches come out from the darkness and they desperately tried to grab their guns to kill them.

Bren continued forward until he got near the Overseer's office and he saw in the window a guard and the Overseer talking to Amata

"…now Amata, I'm not going to hurt him, I need to know where Bren is" The Overseer told his daughter

"Dad I don't know" She said and the guard held his gun up to convince her otherwise

Amata screamed and then a gun shot was heard and the guard fell dead, a bullet was in the back of his head

"Let her go, now" Bren demanded holding the smoking gun at the Overseer

"Ah yes, Bren, you saved me some time looking for you, now then surrender and I will make sure we get this sorted out" The overseer said to him

"I don't think so, I'm leaving this Vault, now let her go, or so help me-"Bren was about to say

"You will what? Shoot me? I don't think so, but I will do that out of the smallest amount of respect for you" he said and Amata ran out

"Good day sir" Bren said lowering the gun and turning his back but then he heard a click and he turned back to see the Overseer holding his own pistol

"Do you really think I would let you leave alive? No, not this time, this vault is too precious to let you screw it up like your father" The overseer said but before he could fire Bren shot first and hit the Overseer's hand forcing him to drop the gun

"Fuck" The Overseer cursed as Bren ran off

"If you ever come back, I will make sure you will regret it" The overseer shouted at the retreating Bren

Bren went to Amata's room where he saw her crying

"Amata…." Bren said

"It's ok, thanks for saving me, look you should go, I will be alright" She said wiping her tears

"…ok" Bren said and he walked out to the science lab where to his horror he saw the body of Jonas with two bullet holes in his back, face down sitting on the table, in his hand was an audio file, and next to his was a piece of paper

"Jonas…." Bren said and looked at the paper

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. "

—Revelation 21:6

"The passage mom loved…." Bren said to himself

He then took the audio file from the hand of Jonas's corpse and inserted it into the Pip-Boy and heard the voice of his father

_"Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first.  
I… I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong and there's really no telling how the overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going._

_(Jonas) Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with_

_Okay. Go ahead. Goodbye. I love you. "_

The Tape ended and Bren sighed as he closed Jonas's eyes out for the dead, it was time to go

"Dad you bastard….I'm gonna find you whether you like it or not" Bren said out loud running into the overseer's office

"Let's see" Bren said to himself as he began to hack the terminal, it took a few tries to get it, as he tried 3 different codes, then reset it so he could keep trying, until he decided to try typing in Amata just for laughs, interestingly enough it worked so Bren activated the secret passage and walked down.

After a quick walk he made it to the huge cog shaped door and he pressed the switch to open it, and with a loud hiss the door opened and creaked to the side

Amata came from the passage behind him and looked at Bren

"Bren, I guess this is it…." She said

"Yeah…." Bren said as he began to walk out

"Wait!" She shouted and she ran to Bren, kissing him on the lips

"Good luck out there, I hope you find your dad" She said and Bren smiled

"He's in here, get him!" A voice shouted and the duo saw 2 guards running out to get them

"Bren run!" Amata shouted and Bren ran off

He never turned back as the door shut, and he opened the old wooden door and saw a blinding light, when his eyes focused, for the first time in his life, he felt warm heat on his arm, he smelt fresh air, and saw a new world to explore. This was the Capital Wasteland and somewhere out there, he would find his father.


	3. Raiders and an Ally

Bren looked around the rocky area he was standing on. Judging by the dented sign, this must have been a scenic outlook where couples went for make out sessions, like the large indoor garden in the vault. He saw an old ruined building area and decided to start there for any useful items.

Bren climbed down the rocks and began walking to the buildings; little did he know that he was being watched by three figures from behind some more rocks.

"Now then…what do we have here?" Bren said noticing what looked like a dresser in an old, hollowed out building

He opened the dresser and found some old clothing, which were some shirts, a pair of slacks and some socks

"I guess I should at least keep em, never know when I might need a change of clothing" Bren thought to himself stuffing them into his bag, he then turned to a nearby safe

"Let's see if Jonas's lessons paid off" Bren said picking the lock with a bobby pin, and 1 2 3 the safe door popped open revealing a .44 caliber magnum and 12 shots of ammo, along with some bottles of scotch and one of vodka, and a magazine of Guns and Bullets

"Jack pot" Bren said to himself as he put the items in his pack and then he heard a gun shot

He turned around and saw 3 guys, their faces grimy, their armor made of scrap and other things, the person in the middle held a sawed off shotgun which he held in the air, still smoking, the other 2 were a man with green hair and a sledgehammer, and the other was a girl with pink dyed hair and an outfit that wouldn't have made a difference if she was naked. She held a small .32 pistol in her hand

"What do we have here, a dweller, never thought I meet one, or kill one" The middle person said reloading his shotgun with another shot

"Hey boss, what do you say we sell him as a slave, I hear dwellers get 600 caps these days, due to being smart" the woman said keeping the gun aimed at Bren

"No way, I say we capture him, tie him up and take him to the Deathclaw lair outside of the DC Wasteland, good show in my opinion" The green haired man said grinning

"Now guys I don't want any trouble, I'm just going to take my stuff and g-"Bren was interrupted by another gunshot into the air silencing him

"Not gonna happen, guys I say we kill him right now" The leader said and he pointed the gun at Bren

A Shot was fired

Bren looked at his body, no wounds?

The man fell dead, on his left side of his head, was a gunshot wound

"Boss no wa-"Another gun shot rang and she fell dead, another head shot

"Wait no, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!" The man dropped his hammer and ran but alas he fell to the ground after another gun shot

"No way…." Bren said to himself looking around

He saw in the distance a large figure; it looked like a machine, holding a sniper rifle

Bren held up his 10 mm pistol up out of fear

"Stay back! I'm warning you" Bren shouted at the figure, but it continued to walk to him

"Die!" Bren shouted firing 4 shots, 3 missed but the one that did hit the figure in the head, but instead of it falling, Bren heard a clang

"Stand down, I'm not gonna hurt you" The figure said in a male voice, it seemed to be talking like from an intercom

Upon closer inspection, the figure had armor on, it was grey with a black X on the chest plate, and on the side was a circle that was painted black, the helmet made the man look like a space invader or something. All in all he looked like a knight from the future or something.

Bren kept his gun up

"Put the gun down, I won't hurt you" The man said holding his gun up to show he isn't a threat and he got close to Bren

"I see…a dweller, and from 101, go figure" The man said to himself

"Who are you?" Bren asked

"Call me Rick, now then, those men who almost killed you, raiders, you are lucky I was nearby and heard the gun shots, or else you would have been another death in the Wasteland" the man said

"Thanks….I'm Bren" Bren said extending his hand

Rick shook it then looked around the area

"Grab your stuff, and follow me, I have a base nearby you can rest in" Rick said to Bren who along with the stuff in the safe, took the sawed off shotgun and the pistol from the raiders, with only 5 shots for the shotgun and 6 for the pistol, it wasn't much, but better than nothing.

They began marching through the terrain, this Rick fellow seemed trustworthy, maybe he knew where dad went, or maybe this is a trap…

They arrived at an old house; it looked like it was abandoned many years ago

"Welcome home" Rick said with a chuckle as they walked in and Bren saw inside that it had a radio, which Rick turned on, which it was playing a song, Bren never heard of it

"….don't want to set the world on fire…."

"Anyway Bren, you from Vault 101? Or did you kill a guy from it and take his duds?" Rick asked still keeping his helmet on

"I'm from the Vault, almost got killed in it too, place gone to hell" Bren said solemnly

"Sorry to hear about that, hold on let me get you a drink" Rick said going into what Bren believed the kitchen as he heard the sound of a fridge opening

Rick came back with 2 bottles of what Bren recognized as Nuka Cola, a popular beverage down in the Vault.

Bren took the bottle and drank about half of stuff, feeling pretty good about himself, that and slightly radiated from the drink

Rick removed his helmet to reveal his face, his hair was brown and short, in a slightly messy fashion, his face dirty but not as dirty as the raiders, and across his face, a large slash scar, he didn't seem young but he wasn't old most certainly. He smiled at Bren

"A pleasure to meet you" Rick said, his voice not low but very charismatic

"Yeah, so what is with the armor?" Bren asked pointing at it

"Oh this, power armor, great stuff, took that bullet nicely too" Rick said to Bren

"Sorry about that" Bren said looking down

"Don't worry, I can understand why you did it, anyway why are you out of the vault? Fire? Water Chip Broken? Sent Out on a mission like some chosen one?" Rick asked

Bren proceeded to explain the story to Rick for about 30 minutes

"Ok I see, your father left you and you went out to find him, simple enough, you know what I like you, and I think you could use some help" Rick said

"Really? You mean it?" Bren asked

"Why not, besides I got nothing better to do, now then, I suggest we head to the town of Megaton, I got some business there anyway, there is a Saloon in there and you could find some information on your missing father" Rick said

"Good idea" Bren replied

Rick turned off the radio and turned back to Bren

"By the way, what are you going to do once you find your father?" Rick asked

"Sock him in the face for all the trouble he caused me" Bren replied causing Rick to laugh

"I like you, I really do" He said putting his helmet back on

The duo left the building and began hiking, and they saw what looked like a huge pile of metal and rubble

"That's it?" Bren asked a bit confused, it looked more like a pile of junk.

"Never judge a book by its cover" Rick replied, come on

Before they went in, Bren noticed a man sitting down; he was panting and seemed in pain

"Water….I need….water" The man was moaning and Bren walked to him

"Please sir, I need water not that irradiated shit, but pure water" the man moaned

"Here" Bren said handing him a bottle of purified water that he took out of the vault

The man took off the top and drank all the water in one go, he took a deep breath and turned to Bren

"Thank god, I'm saved, sir I'm so glad you helped me, I will be sure to repay you" The man said

"It's ok, I'm glad to help" Bren said to him.

Rick looked at Bren from beneath his helmet and smiled

"Ok Rick lets go" Bren said looking at the entrance

"Time to find my dad" He said


	4. The Power of the Atom

Bren and his new friend Rick walked through the large metal gate and Bren saw that this town was made of junk and refuge to become a town that was strong, being from the Vault, this was an impressive sight to behold.

"Pretty cool eh Bren?" Rick asked Bren from beneath his helmet

"Yeah, never seen anything like this in the vault." Bren replied looking around

The duo saw an African American man in an outfit that Bren thought made him look like a cowboy from the old prewar books

"Halt, friend or foe?" The man asked looking at the two seriously

"Lucas, you know it's me" Rick said sighing

"Hey can't be too careful Rick, raider might have killed you and took your armor" the man named Lucas said chuckling

"That is as likely as my mother being a Deathclaw" Rick replied and the two men laughed, Bren was just confused

"Enough joking around, who is this guy?" Lucas asked pointing at Bren

"This is Bren, and he is from 101" Rick replied

"I'll be damned, not one but two people from that vault" Lucas said rubbing his chin

"You saw my father?" Bren asked

"If that last man I saw was your father, then yes I did, only I have no idea where he went, might want to ask around Megaton for info on him" Lucas replied

"Say, why is this place called Megaton?" Bren asked

Lucas pointed to the middle of the town

"That is why" Lucas said and Bren saw a huge bomb, he knew what it was, after all, down in the vault, kids at age eight learned that mankind destroyed each other in war with these. Those in the vaults lived while they died thanks to these weapons of war, the A-Bomb.

"Are you insane?" Bren shouted looking at the nuke

"Pipe down, that bomb hasn't gone off yet, but I can't disarm it either" Lucas replied

"Why not?" Bren asked

"The answer is that a bunch of crazies worship it, as the great "Atom" or something like that, even if they were not there, I wouldn't trust anyone with that" Lucas said sighing

"Well maybe I could, I read some books on explosives in the vault, and maybe I could disarm it" Bren said

"You would do that? Tell you what, I will pay you 100 caps to do it" Lucas said smiling

"Why would I want bottle caps" Bren asked

"You just got out of the vault, am I right?" Lucas asked, "Bottle caps are the new currency in the wasteland, that old paper money is only good for as toilet paper"

"I see….well how about for 500 caps; I mean this is a tough job, one false move…." Bren didn't want to finish

"You drive a hard bargain, alright, 500 caps" Lucas said, and he tipped his hat and walked off.

"You sure you can do this, I don't want to find out how the clouds are today" Rick said to Bren

"Yeah I think I can handle it, but first let's go to the bar for a little information" Bren said to Rick

"Can't I need to head to the shop, meet me there in a bit" Rick said walking up a ramp to another building

Bren walked into the bar where he saw what he thought was a zombie banging on an old radio

"Work damn you, I want Three Dogs, not fucking Eden" The "zombie" muttered, his voice was raspy, almost like growling

"Forget it, Enclave comes in ok, but GNR must be having trouble with their system" A woman in skimpy clothes nearby said

The "zombie" feeling defeated turned off the radio and sighed

Bren just stared at it

"What? Never seen a ghoul before?" The creature asked now noticing Bren's stares

Bren shook his head silently

"Thought so, let me guess, you gonna call me a zombie, or flesh eater, or hell even garbage dump, I got called that by a couple of traders from New Arroyo" the Ghoul said to Bren

"Uh no, I'm just curious what happened to you" Bren replied

The ghoul grinned, or at least Bren thought he did, the ghoul was lacking in teeth to tell

"Names Gob, now a ghoul is a person who basically had too much radiation, it's not so bad once you get passed your skin falling off and smelling like a dumpster, but I can at least live longer….course some of us go feral, now those you can call a zombie" He said extending his hand, which Bren shook (Bren wiped his hand on his pant leg)

"Anyway, what do you need? Oh and for being nice, you can have a discount, just don't tell Moriarty" Gob said to him quietly, keeping an eye on the back room

"Sure thing, and nothing but information…I'm looking for my father you see" Bren said to him

"Ah, that I'm afraid is beyond me, ask Moriarty" Gob said

"Will do my good man" Bren said to Gob

"Psst….hey you….101" A voice said and Bren saw a man with a prewar business outfit and what Bren thought looked like a white fedora, his turtle shell glasses gave him a look that he was hiding something, and his voice was pretty sly

"Me?" Bren asked

"No the ghoul, yes you, come here, I have a deal for you" The man said and Bren walked into a side room where the man beckoned him to sit on an old armchair

"My name is Mr. Burke, now I heard Lucas hired you to disarm the bomb, well I have an employer who wants this town to go" He said to Bren, quietly not to alert anyone around

"Yeah, you expect me to blow up a town?" Bren asked, he was angry that he even suggested this

"Now hold on, my employer is extremely rich, what if I told you that you would earn enough caps to live in comfort for life" Burke said to Bren, in his hand was a strange device "This is a detonation charge, put it on the bomb, and then I can activate the bomb remotely" he explained to Bren

Bren got up and then pulled out his pistol from his side

"I rather go to hell then to send this place there" Bren said pointing the gun at the man's face

"My my my, how rude of you, didn't your father ever teach you not to point guns at people?" Burke said pushing his glasses up

"He will forgive me this one time" Bren said pulling the trigger and splattering Burke's brains on the wall, the corpse dropped the charge onto the ground

"Oh my" Gob said

"Sorry about the mess" Bren said picking up the charge

"Interesting, never thought to see James's son do that" An Irish voice said and Bren turned and he saw a dirty man grinning at him

"Colin Moriarty at your service" The man said

"Bren and you know my father?" Bren asked

"Know him? Of course I do, I remember him stopping by with you in his arms, you look just like him at that age" Moriarty said scanning Bren

"But I was born in the Vault" Bren said a bit confused

"Let me guess, Born in the Vault, die in the Vault, not the case with you, think about it" He said to Bren

"….alright I will believe you, so do you know where my father went?" Bren asked still not trusting the man

"Information costs money I'm afraid, sorry to tell you this, but that will cost 100 caps" Moriarty said to Bren

Bren just sighs and turned to the corpse of Mr. Burke

"Is it wrong to loot a body for money?" Bren asks

"Eh, depends, if you're talking about that Burke fellow, then no" Moriarty said to Bren

Bren then rummaged through the corpse's pockets and he found 568 caps which he pulled out 100 and handed to Moriarty, the rest he put in a small pouch he also found on Burke

"Your dad went to a place called GNR, there you will find a man named Three Dogs, he should tell you where to go" Moriarty said to Bren

"Yeah thanks" Bren said walking out

"Hey Gob, clean up this mess why don't ya" Moriarty shouted at the ghoul

"Yes sir" Gob grumbled getting a mop

Bren then walked to the store where Bren saw Rick (still with the helmet on) talking to a woman in a jumpsuit

"….alright Rick, 4 day supply of food and water, along with some shotgun and sniper ammo for your bag of guns and such" the woman said handing Rick a small cooler and little boxes of ammo

"Oh hey Bren, Moira I would like you to meet Bren" Rick said to the woman

"Say, you're from the Vault, tell me what's it like, it would make a great opening for my guide" Moira said cheerfully to Bren

"Well I guess all I can say is that, it wasn't fun, no fresh air or sunlight, not like the real world" Bren said being honest about it

"Interesting, hmmm ok that will work" Moira said to Bren while jotting down a few notes

She then went into a cabinet and pulled out a Vault Uniform, only it had shoulder pads and other modified defenses

"Since you helped me on that one, I want you to have this, it's a vault uniform that I improved" She said," Go on try it on"

"Ummm, maybe I should go into the back to do this" Bren said blushing a bit

The Mercenary guarding the store chuckled a bit; Moira wasn't the brightest bulb, which she then blushed when she realized what he meant

"Oh yeah go ahead" She said to Bren

Bren went into the back and moments later came out with the armored uniform

"Not bad Bren looks good on you" Rick said to Bren

"Thanks, anyway what can I get for this stuff" Bren asked pulling out the .32 pistol, the old clothes (minus the Tunnel Snakes Jacket) and the booze, Bren opted to keep the magnum as another weapon just in case.

"Hmmm, I guess a total of 452 caps, would you like something special, I suggest this 32. Caliber hunting rifle for only 300 caps, and I will even include 50 shots for 100 caps" She suggested

"It's a deal" Bren said and he handed the caps top Moira who in turned handed him the rifle

"Come on Rick, I got the info we need, but first I need to disarm the bomb" He said and the duo walked out.

"Now then I'm gonna disarm the bomb, lets pray that I get this right" Bren said walking into the irradiated puddle to fiddle with the controls

"Let's see….red wire means the countdown, so blue wire is….hmmm maybe I should cut that….ok got it" Bren said cutting a few wires, he then shut the door and turned to Rick

"The bomb is disarmed" Bren said wiping his brow

"Nice going" Rick said

"I agree" a familiar voice said and they saw Lucas smiling

"Finally I can sleep tonight without worry" He said handing Bren a bag which Bren assumed were the caps he was promised

"Here, this is the deed and key to the free house, it's yours now" Lucas said handing Bren a yellowed piece of paper and a key

"Thanks, oh and here" Bren said handing him the charge

"That Mr. Burke guy asked me to rearm the bomb to destroy us" Bren explained

"That bastard, hold on I got to have a chat with hi-"

"No need….you see I kinda shot him and killed him" Bren said, he felt somewhat remorseful about it

Lucas was silent; Bren thought he would be shot

"Bren, it is alright, you did what you had to do, now then if you excuse me, I have to destroy this charge" Lucas said walking away

"So Bren, where too?" Rick asked

"GNR" Bren said as the duo walked out of the town gates.

It was time to find his father


	5. Raiders, Steel, and Mutants oh my

Bren and Rick have been walking for about an hour; Rick was leading Bren as he knew the area pretty well, keep an eye out for anything that was dangerous

"We should find a place to sleep for tonight, night in the Wasteland is dangerous trust me" Rick said to Bren looking around for any safe place to bunker down for the night

"How about that place?" Bren asked pointing at what looked like a huge intact building

"The Super Duper Mart….hmmm seems like a good choice" Rick said as they walked inside only to have at least 7 guns pointing at them by a group of raiders

"Ok I could be wrong about this place" Rick said calmly

"Well look who we have here, and in power armor too, that stuff is rare, now then hand it over" One raider said with a sawed off shotgun

"I say let's kill them now" Another said

"Boss said not to kill em, the pussy" The first said

"What did you call me?" A voice rang out and Bren saw a man with leather armor on, he was slightly bald and his face was dirty. On his back was a Chinese assault rifle, he was smoking a cigarette and he saw Rick

"Well strip me naked and call me a mole rat, hey Rick, been a while" The man said in a friendly tone

"It's been a while Jericho, about 3 months, so how have you been?" Rick said to the man who apparently was named Jericho, once would think they weren't at risk by raiders who wanted to kill them

"Nothing much, hey guys guns down, I know em" He said blowing out some smoke

"Aww you never let us kill people" One raider said

"Eh well I want to be a nice guy, better than having regulators on your ass every day" Jericho retorted

"Ummm I'm confused" Bren said

"Oh, Bren, Jericho here is a former raider, but it would seem he found his old gang" Rick explained looking at the other raiders

"Damn straight, this old man stills got it" Jericho said, "Say why don't you two come into the back with me, we can talk over a nice drink"

"Sure thing, we need a place for the night, and I could always use a drink" Rick said as the duo walked to the back room which was now converted into a meeting room/ master bedroom for the boss

"Neat place" Bren said looking at the stuff, he saw weapons that were displayed like trophies, cartons of cigarettes, and most strangely, a robot inside a tube like device

"Say what's that?" Bren asks pointing at the robot

Jericho was in the fridge pulling out drinks, a whisky, a beer, and a cola, "Protectron, never could get it started, none of us know how to hack that terminal, and we don't even have a password for it" He said handing Bren the cola, which he drank

"So anyway kid, tell me about yourself, and judging by that getup you met Moira" Jericho said drinking some of the whisky

"Yeah, you see I'm from the vault…." Bren then proceeded to explain the story to Jericho who was either impressed, or was nodding due to the whisky, either way Jericho smiled

"Interesting story, I got plenty too, one interesting thing is why this group won't kill me by now" Jericho said to Bren and Rick, he even laughed

"What do you mean?" Rick asked, he had yet to touch his beer, but he had his helmet removed

"Well as you can see, I rather be a nice guy, these raiders don't like it….I'm pretty glad you guys showed up or else, heh well I may have some trouble" Jericho said drinking some more of the whisky which worried Bren, were drunks always this care free even in the face of danger?

Bren heard from the closed door some raiders talking, even from a closed door they talked loud

"So I say let's kill them now, Jericho is easy to kill, and those two shouldn't be a problem for the 7 of us" One of them said

Bren then heard a shout of approval

"Uh guys, I think we may have a problem" Bren said

"Damn, 7 raiders and 3 of us" Rick muttered, he had power armor, but that doesn't mean victory

"Wait I got it" Bren said and he went to the terminal, he also noticed a little ID chip and he pocketed it

"Ok let's see….no not that, hmmm, no wait…..got it" Bren muttered as he imputed the code and with a hiss the tube opened and the robot walked out

"Scanning, Super-Duper Mart security grid offline ****Error**** Date ****Error*** Threat Level Omega" The Protectron said and it turned to Bren

"Scanning…. Hello Fellow Employee, Jason Fox, have a nice day" The Protectron said as it walked out of the room

"Ummm now I'm confused" Bren said

He pulled out the ID in which he noticed the name which was Jason Fox

"Well that explains a lot" Bren said, but his train of thought was cut short when he heard screams of pain

"Oh Dear God it shot my leg" A raider shouted

"Put down your weapons and submit to authority" The Protectron said in the robotic monotone as Bren thought he heard a laser fire

"Well isn't this interesting" Rick said as the three walked out to see the Protectron walking around the area which they saw 7 dead bodies

"Well I been damned, that thing was useful after all" Jericho said grinning and drinking from the bottle of whisky

"Area secure" The Protectron said to Bren, thinking he is Jason

"Uhh yeah good Job uhh" Bren didn't know what to call it

"My Product code is XJ9, Version 506, Code 3822TY" the Protectron said

"Uhh I'm gonna just call you X" Bren said to it

"Very well then, scanning perimeter for enemies" X said

"Wait, these 2, and anyone who they think is ok, is not an enemy" Bren said

"Affirmative, will comply with the order" X said marching around the toppled shelves

"Nice, now I have a robot to do my bidding" Jericho said drinking another bottle of whisky

"So Jericho what will you do, now that you lost your gang?" Rick asked

"If it is alright with ya, I'm, willing to fix up this place, make a base, maybe a trading hub, be a great way to rack in the caps" Jericho said, his voice starting to become slurred

"That would be a great idea, but for now let's get some sleep" Bren said and they did

The Next morning after a breakfast of snack cakes and soda Bren and Rick bid X and Jericho fair well and mentioned they would return as soon as they can

It didn't take long for Bren and Rick to reach the metro station they needed to get to in order to head to GNR

"Well this is it" Rick said, "This should take us to GNR"

"Right" Bren replied as they walked down into the dark Metro

"Careful, we don't know what's down here" Rick said to Bren as they marched through the darkness, Bren's Pip boy as a flashlight and Rick using his armors built in light

After about 10 minutes of hiking they heard some voices, unlike normal voices, these ones sounded stupid and low

"Damn it, Super Mutants" Rick said quietly to Bren keeping him back

"Super Mutants?" Bren asked confused

"They are human like creatures, mean, and you do not want to piss em off, though I once met a nice one by the name of Leo I think, but he is the only one who doesn't want to tear my head off, we better be careful" Rick said quietly

They snuck around and they heard the large yellowish green creatures talking

"Good meat, but puny humans pain to kill" One said, this one was eating some unknown meat which Bren assumed was human flesh, he wanted to vomit but decided to hold it in

"I know, they good but tough to kill, I want more" The other said, this one had a hunting rifle on his back

"FIRE IN THE HOLE" Rick shouted and Bren saw what he meant, he saw a small device land between the duo and before they could react an explosion rang out killing them both

"Heh, frag grenades, got to love em" Rick said

"Yeah" Bren said as they continued, it took them about 30 minutes to make it out and they heard some gun fire and the shouting of more Super Mutants

"The hell?" Rick said as they ran out and they saw 4 people clad in similar power armor like Rick's taking down 3 super mutants

"Uh oh" Rick said

"What's wrong?" Bren asked

"Hey, I thought you left us?" a woman in power armor said looking at Rick

"Uh that's why" Rick said rubbing the back of his helmeted head

"Umm I'm really confused right now" Bren said

The group walked to Rick and Bren with guns pointed at them

"Look Sarah you know why I left, my friend here and I just need to see Three Dogs" Rick said to the woman

"Well Then, I suppose I can let you off this time, so who is this guy?" The woman said, it would seem her name is Sarah

"Umm my name is Bren, I'm from Vault 101, and Three Dogs may know where my dad is" Bren explained

"Well if you want to see him, you are going to help us take care of these mutants, they have over run the area, we came to help them out" Sarah replied, her tone was serious and quick, she was a woman on a mission

"Got it" Bren said and the 6 walked to 2 other power armored people

"Hey who are these guys?" Bren asked Rick quietly

"The Brotherhood of Steel, a group of people who came here to kill Super Mutants" Rick explained to Bren "This particular group is known as Lyon's Pride, led by that Sarah Lyons, trust me stay back and watch the fireworks"

"Wow, so you used to be with them?" Bren asked

"Another story for another time" Rick said

Bren looked at the ground and saw a dead armored man

"So Jennings died huh Clovin?" Sarah asked another Steel Member who apparently was named Clovin

"Correct, Reddin here did take out the mutant who got him" Clovin replied and the woman who was in a lighter armor smiled

"Those Mutants won't know what hit them after I'm through with them" She said, Bren figured she was a little too peppy for this kind of work

"Steel yourself" Sarah said in her serious tone, "Alright time for us to take back GNR, we have Brothers and Sisters fighting right now, we even have 2 more allies, time to fight back"

The Steel Members nodded readied their weapons, instead of normal guns they seemed more like steel rectangles with handles

"For the Brotherhood!" She shouted and they ran out into the open and fired at the old Building where mutants fell to the ground thanks to the lasers that fired out of their weapons

"Bren stay back" Rick said taking a fire shots with his sniper.

"Why I want to help?" Bren asked

"These guys fought mutants for years, they live for it, you haven't. Watch and learn why the Brotherhood is one of the few things mutants fear" Rick said and Bren soon realized that he was right, the Brotherhood members did a good job taking out the mutants, each move was smart and wise, the mutants stood no chance against the tactics of steel that this group kept employing

After 10 minutes of fighting Bren and Rick followed the members into the court yard where Reddin laughed at the dead bodies of the mutants

"And that's why no one messes with steel" She said

"Initiate, steel yourself, first check the area for any hostiles, then we will go inside to rest" Clovin said

"Sounds good to me" She said walking to an overturn bus but then Bren heard loud stomping

"What's going on?" Bren asked

"No…."Rick said, this was the first time he seemed truly worried

Bren didn't understand at first but then the bus that Reddin was near her was pushed away suddenly slamming her right into a wall and Bren saw to his horror a large super mutant, this wasn't like a 7 foot mutant, no this was at least 12 feet high, it had bulging muscles, in its left hand was a fire hydrant mace and on its right arm a car door like a shield, it was snarling and looking at the clad warriors and it let out a mighty roar

"Take it down!" Sarah shouted and they fire upon this behemoth

Bren and Rick fired shots from their weapons, Bren's hunting rifle and Rick's Sniper Rifle but none of the shots seem to hurt it, only annoy it as it kept swinging its mace

"Pull back!" Sarah shouted but the monster swung it's mace at a Brotherhood member sending him flying into another killing both of them

"This isn't good" Bren thought moving back but then his foot hit something and he looked down at the dead body of a Brotherhood member, in his hands was a large weapon, not a missile launcher but similar, the words on the side spelled "FATMAN"

"Better than nothing" Bren muttered to himself grabbing the device and loading what looked like a miniature nuke that he found nearby

"Take this!" He shouted firing a shot, the shot arced in the air and landed in the mutants face and became a mushroom cloud but not a large one, the blast sent a hot blast of air at Bren and while the mutants face was gone, the body fell to the ground with a large thump

"My god….I think I should keep this" Bren said, this weapon was powerful

"Wow Bren, great instincts" Rick said patting Bren on the back

Sarah walked to Bren and she removed her helmet revealing a beautiful blond woman

"Thanks for your help, if you haven't use that on the behemoth we would have all been killed, and for that you deserve our praise" She said shaking Bren's still trembling hand

"It was my pleasure, and I'm sorry for Reddin" Bren said looking at the still body of the initiate

"She died in a noble way, she will be remembered not as an initiate but a paladin, she deserves that honor" Sarah said, "anyway the door should be open, and Three Dogs inside, take care of yourself"

And with that Sarah put on her helmet and went to check the bodies of her dead comrades

"Come on Bren, Three Dogs awaits" Rick said and with that walked into the building.


	6. Deathclaws and Three Dogs

Bren and Rick just got done killing a bunch of Super Mutants; Bren deciding on keeping his Fatman that he found earlier, had it on strapped to his back. They were inside the GNR Building where they were walking up the stairs to find the DJ from the Radio Waves.

"So Rick, ever met this guy?" Bren asked

" 'Fraid not Bren, but I heard he is a nice guy-" Rick was interrupted by the voice of another man

"Who is a nice guy?" The voice came from above the stairs they were walking and they saw an African American man with a bandana on his head, with a pair of Glasses and an old Merc Outfit, he certainly looked like one cool cat as some prewar person would say.

"A pleasure to meet another armor wearing solider of the good fight and what's this, the son of James who would have thought" The man said " My name is Three Dog, General in the Good Fight and the DJ of the Wastelands, whatever a DJ is"

"Three Dog? Really? But wait how did you know my name?" Bren asked he was surprised on how this man could have figured out his name like that

"First off, that 101 outfit helps, plus the fact you look like James when he was your age, but come I have some coffee and snack cakes, today we feast in celebration of the slaying of the mutants" Three Dog said, he kept a tone that made him seem cool and sooth, compared to the voices of raiders and brotherhood of steel, this man seemed very level headed.

Bren and Rick came up stairs to find a big studio, old radio equipment covered the rooms, Bren could notice old food wrappers strewn about, a bed and small dresser was in another room which Bren assumed was where he slept. Three Dog sat at an old table where he beckoned the duo to join him in 2 of the other free seats

"So what can a humble DJ do for you my good men?" Three Dog asked pouring them a cup of coffee and handing them some snack cakes

"Well we could use some information if you don't mind" Rick said, he kept standing at least without his helmet

"What do you need, you ask I tell what I can tell" Three Dog replied

"I need to know where my father is" Bren said getting straight to the point

"Ah James left the Vault eh, that explains a lot, I remember the song that played the day when he asked where he could find it, was holding a small baby at the time too, heh I don't want to set the world on fire, how nostalgic" Three Dog said smiling at the memory

"Now I know where your old man is, however to get something you need to trade, what do you think you can give me?" Three Dog said, this time he said it in a slightly serious tone

"Let me guess, it isn't food, water, or protection, because you have all three right now" Rick said and Three Dog just laughed

"What's your name?" Three Dog Asked

"Rick" Rick replied and both seemed to stare off into each other eyes

"Well Rick, you're right, The Brotherhood helps me in the good fight and provide me with the three" Three Dog said after the small staring contest

"What exactly is the good fight?" Bren asked

"The good fight is basically fighting for the people of the wasteland against Super Mutants and Enclave, the Brotherhood fights in the good fight, regulators, and the occasional wastelander who gets enough balls to fight back. I made this radio station to counter the propaganda of the Enclave" Three Dog said, not in the least bit annoyed

"So basically you're giving people hope" Bren said

"Correct, problem is, that I can't seem to get my messages out, close range is fine, but outside in some other parts, I have nothing, so what I need you to do is replace my radio satellite dish" Three Dog Said

"What happened?" Rick asked

"Some Super Mutant thought it would be funny to shoot some holes at the big shiny dish it would seem" Three Dog replied

"Ok that makes sense, but where would I find one?" Bren asked

"Near the area of the Washington Monument, it was made for some guy who helped this country, I don't know the details, but inside a building called the Museum of Technology you should find a device called a Virgo II, take a satellite and replace the old dish. It should be intact. Though do be careful, Mutants live inside" Three Dog Explained

"Got it, so any tips on how to get there?" Bren asked

"Take the back, the metro should take you right to the area, careful, you might meet some mutants along the way, oh and give the brotherhood stationed there my regards" Three Dog added as Bren and Rick made their way to the back stairs.

As they jumped down to the outside area they heard snarling, they saw a group of ghouls, but unlike Gob the bartender, these ones had barely any clothing and they seemed more feral

"Bren incoming!" Rick shouted as one ghoul jumped into the air at them, and Bren barely had time to fire a bullet into its brain with his hunting rifle, Rick took care of the other one with a well-placed shot from his shotgun

"Damn ghouls, I have nothing against them, but when they want to eat my brain, that's where I cross the line" Rick said as they made it to the metro entrance

"Alright get your light on" Rick said as he switched his helmet light on and Bren put his Pip-boy light on as well

Inside the metro Bren almost gagged, he could smell something that reminded him of Butch's Science Project in the Eighth grade, it got an F minus and boy it was horrible to the Janitors who had to clean it up

"What's that smell?" Bren asked and Rick turned off his light

"I'm praying like hell it isn't what I think it is" Rick said as they walked closer, what Bren saw would be embedded into his nightmares forever, what he saw was a large demon like creature. It was hairless and its limbs were long, it have a reptilian like face, but it was mammal like at the same type, what really caught Bren's eye was the claws, Bren had a feeling those claws could cut steel in half

Around the creature were corpses of super mutants and he also saw skeletons of what he expected were raiders because of the armor that remained

"Damn it, Deathclaw" Rick said quietly, Bren couldn't tell his expression from beneath the helmet but he could tell Rick was afraid

"What do we do?" Bren asked quietly

"Pray like hell it doesn't notice us" Rick said as they watched the Deathclaw bite into the corpse of a mutant

They inched passed the Deathclaw and hoped it would hear them, Rick kept looking back to make sure it wasn't moving but then Bren hit an empty can causing a noise and the Deathclaw looked up

"Damn it" Rick muttered as they ducked behind some stone and steel what would have been stairs to the upper floor

"Don't move" Rick said as they watched the Deathclaw inch closer and closer to the duo, it snarled and Bren could see it drooling, it wouldn't be long before gets close enough to see them

"Prepare to fight" Rick said about to pull his shotgun out but then he heard something else

"You! You kill my brothers, you die now!" The voice shouted and they saw a Super Mutant holding what looked like a large hammer, it was a super sledge and it looked angry

The Deathclaw snarled at it

"Die you!" The mutant shouted as it ran to it with the hammer only to be impaled by the left hand of the Deathclaw, the mutant dropped the hammer and then last thing it saw was the right hook slashing into his brain, it never stood a chance.

The Deathclaw roared in victory, it won another battle to the death

"Come on lets go" Rick said and they ran off, but then they saw the Deathclaw look at them

"Fuck!" Rick shouted as the Deathclaw roared and began to charge at them

"Get down!" Rick shouted pulling out a frag grenade from his side pouch, he pulled the pin and rolled it on the ground just as the Deathclaw ran over it. The explosion rang out in the metro and Bren lost his hearing for moment, but then he felt a terrible pain, and he looked down, he saw his chest was open and he saw the Deathclaw ready to slash him again but then a shot rang out and its head was blown off

Bren felt weak as he closed his eyes

"Damn it Bren, don't die on me" Rick shouted going into his pack, he found what he was looking for which was a syringe

"I don't know much about medical works but this stimpack should keep you alive until I can find someone who can" Rick said injecting the medicine into Bren's chest

Bren groaned and Rick picked up Bren and carried him on his shoulders

"I will find you help, stay with me" Rick said, he begged Bren to keep awake and Bren groaned in pain and weakness

"Come on I need to find a medic, but where can I go….somewhere safe, somewhere safe" Rick muttered, he was worried about Bren as he ran to the gate that would take them out of the metro, he looked around and saw the Museum of History

"There, I can heal Bren in there" Rick said, he was happy as he ran in, but then he saw a ghoul look at him

"You, stay out, this is the Underworld and we don't like smooth skins in it" He said

"Please he needs medical attention, I promise I won't cause trouble" Rick pleaded and the ghoul saw Bren

"Yikes, what the hell did he face?" The ghoul asked showing a bit of concern

"A Deathclaw, in the metro, slashed him in the chest" Rick explained

"Head into the back and you will find a doctor, he can help you out" The ghoul said pointing to the back

"Thanks, uhh"

"Winthrop" The ghoul said and Rick nodded his head as he ran inside and to the back where another ghoul looked at him

"Ah yes the new corpse for my chop shop, I needed some new samples" The ghoul said grinning, Rick pulled his shotgun out after he set Bren down on a bed

"Shut the fuck up, and fix my friend" Rick said coldly, he was in no mood for dark humor

"Look I'm sorry, it was just a joke, tell me what happened to him" The ghoul asked

"Deathclaw slashed him" Rick said

"Right I see….yikes just missed the vitals, oh and call me Barrow" The doctor said

"Graves, get some gauze and penicillin" Barrow said as his ghoul nurse went into the cabinet

"Look I'm gonna have to ask you to wait outside while I operate" Barrow said to Rick who nodded and walked out to a bench where he thought to himself

"Bren please be alright, I already lost Leo…." He thought, from beneath his helmet he cried.


	7. Charon and Skyler

Bren awoke, and he looked around the strange place, his first reaction to seeing the ghoul sitting down across from his bed, reading a medical book was fear

"Hold on smooth skin, I'm not here to hurt you" Barrow said holding his hands up, he had before treated patients on psycho and jet before, despite the fact he had no idea how the ghouls were getting the stuff, so he knew that to talk to someone like this, he had to be calm, and passive, he almost lost a finger from one psycho user who got a hold of a scalpel.

"Where am I?" Bren asked but then he felt a surge of pain in his chest, he looked down and saw the fresh stitches on him

"You are in Underworld, the home of the ghouls, and your friend brought you here, good thing too, any later and you would be dead" Barrow said and Bren looked at the stitches again

"Give it two days to heal up, and you can leave Underworld, till then I recommend getting something to eat" Barrow said as he went back to his book

"Any recommendations?" Bren asked as he got his stuff nearby, he opted to leave the Fatman in the medical area until he leaves

"Try the Ninth Circle or Carols Place" Barrow said not looking up from the book

"Thanks" Bren said as he pulled out his caps, he had about 1500 caps, due to finding some on raiders, and some that Jericho gave to him as a sign of being a friend

He walked out of the Chop Shop and he could see Rick asleep on a bench, he could tell he was asleep due to the snoring that was audible through the speaker

Bren just chuckled and decided to let him sleep, according to his Pip-boy it was 4:24 in the afternoon, so he decided to head to the Ninth Circle and maybe get a Nuka Cola

He walked into the bar and the first thing he noticed was the tall Ghoul in Combat armor and a custom shotgun glaring at him, Bren was worried but the ghoul behind the counter said to him "Don't mind him"

Bren sat down at a seat and the ghoul smiled at Bren, he had some old business wear and he had a Chinese pistol at his side

"Names Ahzrukhal, welcome to the Ninth Circle, can I get you anything?" The ghoul asked, despite his tone being low and raspy like other ghouls, he seemed more witty then the other ghouls.

"A Bottle of Nuka Cola would be nice" Bren said and Ahzrukhal went into his fridge and pulled out the soda

"Seven caps please" Ahzrukhal said and Bren handed him the money and took the soda, he got and walked to the large ghoul who was looking at him, he must have been at least six foot three maybe four

"Uh Hey-"Bren was about to say but the ghoul interrupted him

"Talk to Ahzrukhal" The ghoul said to him, his voice was lower than most ghouls and it made Bren nervous

"But I-"

"Don't care, talk to Ahzrukhal" He said, he was serious alright, a bit too serious

Bren sighed as he went back to his seat

"What is that ghoul's problem" Bren asked drinking some of the soda

"Eh, that's my bouncer Charon, you see he is a helper of mine" Ahzrukhal said

"He is a slave?" Bren asked

"No, he isn't that, you see he was brainwashed, so who ever holds his contract, he will follow no matter what, bought him off some old woman for a song, thank goodness for bad thinking, I heard she got killed by a Deathclaw because she forgot Charon wasn't with her" He said grinning at the memory

"Uh yeah, say you selling the contract?" Bren asked figuring that Charon could be a useful help on this mission

"Depends, how much are you offering?" Ahzrukhal asked

"How about 1000 caps for the anti-social ghoul" Bren offered

"Guess that's fair, I need a new bouncer anyway, he scares everyone else away" Ahzrukhal said taking the caps, and handing Bren the old and wrinkled piece of paper

"Why don't you tell him the good news" Ahzrukhal said as Bren got up

Bren walked to Charon

"Talk to-" Charon was about to say but Bren held up the contract

"Good news, I'm your new contract owner" Bren said

"Really now? Hold that thought I need to talk to Ahzrukhal" Charon said as he walked over to his former master

"So come to say goodbye?" Ahzrukhal asked, smiling at his former guard

"Yes" Charon replied and he pulled out his shotgun and blasted Ahzrukhal right in the head, and the corpse two more times in the chest for good measure. Everyone around seemed shocked at first but they then decided to continue drinking and eating

"Uh" Bren was a bit speechless

"He was an evil bastard" Charon said putting his shotgun back on his back, "So what do you want me to do? Kill some people, find you woman, or maybe do a dance for your entertainment" He asked, Bren was a bit confused about the dancing part

"Well you see my friend and I are doing a job and we need to find the Museum of History" Bren explained

"I been there before, full of Super Mutant, you have a death wish?" Charon asked, he would follow Bren but he still would like to know this smooth skin's reasoning

"I need to get a satellite dish to help a man. In return I find out where my missing father is" Bren said, "Oh names Bren" He added

"Hmm, alright I understand, and as you already know, mine is Charon" Charon said but then Bren clutched his chest

"Yikes, a Deathclaw slash, and by the looks of it, you met Barrow, I suggest you head back to the Chop Shop" Charon said and Bren nodded as he walked out of Ahzrukhal's former bar.

Back on the ground floor Bren could see Rick waking up and looking at Bren

"Bren you're alright!" He said, he removed his helmet and smiled, he then turned to Charon who was looking at Rick a bit confused

"Who is this?" Rick asked

"Rick, this is Charon, long story short, I have his contract so he works for me" Bren said

"A Pleasure to meet you" Charon said sitting on the bench across from the one Rick was sleeping on, his arms were crossed and he just remained still like a body guard.

"So how do you feel?" Rick asked

"I am having some chest pains, give me a day or two and my stitches will heal enough for me to leave, well according to that Barrow fellow" Bren said, he winced in pain and went into the makeshift clinic

{Two Days Later}

In the Two days that Bren was detained to heal himself, he was able to gain better weapons, for starters he got his hunting rifle repaired and bought a new combat shotgun, he kept his Fatman just in case they ever meet any more trouble like the Behemoth, he was also able to get some combat armor plating to cover his chest of the Vault Uniform. So now it looked like blue combat armor. They were able to get some more medicine and food and water, which Rick elected to carry in the new Vault Tec Duffle bag, which is where the Fatman was carried

"Alright ready to go?" Bren asked as they were eating at Carols place, Bren was drinking some Nuka Cola, Rick had some snack cakes, and Charon was eating some mole rat meat.

"Yeah, come on, we are burning daylight" Charon said getting up, he lead the way with Bren second and Rick third.

As they walked out of the Museum Bren shielded his eyes

"Not used to the light" Bren said shielding his eyes

"Eh, you'll get used to it" Charon said pulling out his shotgun and scanning the area, it was around noon in the Wasteland, and Charon knew that Mutants liked to head to the old Capital Building for some "fun" with the Talon Mercs who were hired to take them out, so far it has been a stalemate between the two but Charon knew that the Talons would fall eventually

"Alright so you need to head to the Museum of History, follow me and stay low" Charon said as they walked across the battle torn area, they could see old Mutant corpses, shot by lasers as Rick judged, but what worried them was the lack of mutants around.

"Don't worry, they are around the Capital Building, for now at least" Charon said but then a low voice rang out

"Found you!" It was a super mutant holding a hunting rifle

"Allow me" Charon said cracking his neck, before the Mutant could fire he had already pulled out a frag and tossed it in front of the mutant, it must have had some of the explosives removed as it was softer in sound and explosion, it did however cause a lot of dust to shoot into the air.

"Take this!" Charon shouted running into the dust, Bren and Rick could hear the sound of a shotgun and the loud thud of a body falling, as the dust cleared they could see Charon standing on top of the mutant's corpse, the head was blown clean off

"Peh, weak" Charon muttered as he motioned for them to continue before more mutants would come.

It wasn't long before they made it inside of the old building that was the Museum of Technology

"Alright now if we are looking for this Satellite, we should check the space program section" Rick said

"Makes sense, so let's see" Bren said checking the directory, it would be a little confusing but he thought he might be able to remember the way

"Follow me" Bren said as the group walked through the Museum, little did they know that they were being watched by a cloaked man

They found the Vault Tour on their way to the space program section and Bren decided to check it out, was it for nostalgia, or was it to hear what Vault Tec said about the Vaults. Either way it was somewhat enlightening.

"If only they knew about what was going to happen to some of us" Bren said as they walked out of the end, they found that they were a room away from the Satellite and that made things a lot easier

"Come on, guys, we are close" Bren said as they went into the Exhibit and saw the old Virgo II Lunar Lander, and in decent condition

"Alright let me carry it" Rick said as they removed the dish, it came off nicely and they strapped it to Rick's Back

"Alright let's go before some mutants show up" Charon said looking around

"Something isn't right" Rick said holding his hand up

"What do you mean?" Bren asked

"Listen" Rick said

Bren was a little confused

"But I don't hear anything" Bren said

"Exactly, there should be mutants, but we haven't even heard a radroach or molerat, something is going on" Rick explained and then they heard some laughing

"Bravo, Bravo. Rick the Iron Wall Solider" A voice rang out, it was full of malice and evil. They turned and saw a cloaked figure look at them, and the man removed the hood to reveal a face that could have been 16, his hair was dark and slicked back, his face had a scar that ran across his cheek. His eyes were dark and cloudy.

"My name is Skyler, or as most people call me, the Reaper of the Enclave" He said, everyone pulled out a shotgun and pointed it at him.

"My aren't we a little impolite" Skyler said, he smiled calmly but they could tell he was a threat

"I came to ask for you to join Eden in rebuilding this lost Country" He explained, "We have power, and knowledge, and you could be a part of it, except for that ghoul of course" He said grimly at Charon, he pulled out a gauntlet, it looked like a Deathclaw's hand and claw, only it was pure metal, and the claw parts seemed to be where his fingers would be in and could move them

"I'm afraid you will have to be exterminated like the rest of those freaks" He said and he moved quickly to Charon who fired a shot hitting him in the chest and sending him into the ground

"Come on lets go" Charon said as they walked off, "He wasn't so tough, reaper my ass" He added but then they heard him laugh as they saw in horror that he got up and crack his neck

"Come now, was that the best you could do?" He asked removing the cloak, they could see he wore a power armor, but unlike the bulky ones that the brotherhood had, this one was like skin tight battle armor, no wonder the bullets didn't hit him.

"I will ask again, will you join us?" Skyler asked

"No way" Rick said pointing his shotgun at him

"Very well then, I'm afraid it is time for you to die the like dogs you are" Skyler said, his eyes twitched liked an insane man but then Rick dodged the slashed and shot him in the back

"See you in hell" Rick said pulling the pin off a grenade and throwing it to the side near a support beam. The explosion was enough to break the already weakened support beam and the building began to shake and crumble

"The place is coming down!" Charon shouted as they ran out of the building. The Museum collapsed in some areas but they knew that Skyler was dead because the rubble was falling in their area

"Come on, we need to head to the Washington Monument and get this installed" Rick said as they walked off, what they didn't see was Skyler pulling himself out of the wreckage, his face was bleeding but he was alright

"Well, it would seem I almost died, too bad a Chimera like me can't die so easily" Skyler said, he pressed a button on the collar of the armor

"Chimera Agent Skyler reporting in, I failed mission, what are my next orders" He asked

"Follow them, and find out their plan, that boy must lead you to James" A voice replied, it sounded southern

"Yes Sir, Colonel Autumn" He replied to the voice, he got himself up and walked off in a different direction, he would be keeping an eye on this group for a while.


	8. Radio and Alien Signals

The trio walked to the large stone pillar, according to Rick it was a monument to America's greatest hero. Charon said it looked like a large dick. Either way they made it to the perimeter where two brotherhood members stood guard with their laser rifles

"Hey, look out there is a ghoul behind you" One of them said training his laser rifle at Charon

"Hey tin can mind pointing that elsewhere" Charon said annoyed, he hated how everywhere he goes people either stare or point their guns at him

"He's with us" Rick said to the brotherhood members and they nodded

"Thanks" Bren said smiling and the soldiers nodded their heads as the trio went up the elevator to the top of the structure

"Alright we install the device, head back to Three Dog, and find Bren's dad, simple enough" Rick said as the doors opened

"Alright Rick, you and Charon install the disk, I will try to get the signal" Bren said looking at the signal device

Rick and Charon replaced the bullet riddled disk with the new one and Bren worked the dials and soon he came to a conclusion

"Hey if I turn the dials this way and convert some power to the dish, Three Dog should be able to get a signal in a 200 mile radius" Bren said smiling and his Pip-boy caught the signal

"….well what's this, my signal is off the charts, Bren you did it, and even more than I thought you would do it" The voice of Three Dog said through the Pip-boy and Rick and Bren smiled

"Come on, let's get back" Rick said and they made it down to the ground level

The trip back to GNR was uneventful mostly due to the fact that the way to Three Dog was cleared, and after a relatively easy climb they made it to the back door of GNR

"That was easy, and we made good time" Bren said smiling as he looked at his Pip-boy

"Come on times a wasting" Charon said as they stepped inside. They met up with the smiling DJ

"Bren you are one cool cat, honestly not only did you fix my relay but you improved it" Three Dog said taking one look at Charon and didn't lose his cool

"Well I see you found a friend" Three Dog said

"What you aren't gonna insult me?" Charon asked

"Why should I, we are all human once you think about it, only difference is that you can survive radiation while I can play music" Three Dog said chuckling, he then turned to Bren

"As promised I will tell you where your father is, you see when he stopped by after leaving the vault, he told me he went to Rivet City to meet up with a Dr. Madison Li" He explained

"Madison Li at Rivet City, understood, and thanks for the help" Bren said shaking his hand

"It is no problem, and remembers to tune in for some songs. I am on 24/7" Three Dog said and everyone walked out of the building (of course they had to explain that Charon was good but the Brotherhood believed them)

"So what now?" Charon asked

"I say we head back to the Super Duper Mart and rest up" Rick said and Charon and Bren nodded in agreement

They went back through the metro, never seeing anymore enemies because; once again they were cleared out a while back. It wasn't long before they made it to the Super Duper Mart, and they made it inside where they found Jericho talking to a man in a merchant outfit

"….Ok so if I trade you my three Chinese assault rifles I get this Fatman?" Jericho asked pointing at the Fatman on the counter

"Hey Jericho, I already have one" Bren shouted and he went into the duffle bag and pulled out the prize.

"Well I be damned, sorry Chad but I'm afraid I won't be buying" Jericho said taking a deep breath on his cigarette, so the merchant sighed

"Right, I will be back later" He said walking out, but not before X said "Have a nice day"

"Hey Bren, Rick….uh Ghoul" Jericho said and Charon rolled his eyes

"Jericho this is Charon, I have his contract so he works for us" Bren explained

"No kidding, so find your pop yet?" Jericho asked taking the Fatman from Bren and putting it into the backroom

"Yeah, found out he was headed to Rivet City" Bren said as Jericho tossed him a Nuka Cola which Bren caught and opened

"Bad news kid, I heard from Chad there that Rivet city is closed, some election problems or something, I don't, something about one of the candidates being a former slaver or something, point is that no one goes in or out for about a week. I suggest you head north or something and explore the area, I mean I heard some strange rumors" Jericho said sipping on some vodka

"Like what?" Rick asked sitting down and removing his helmet

"Like about something falling from the sky, who knows what it could be" Jericho said

"Really, that sounds weir-"Bren was interrupted by a strange signal on his Pip-boy

"What the heck" Bren said messing with the dials he then heard a strange dialogue

"Gry tren ty gry. Gry tren ty gry" It kept repeating over and over and it didn't sound human.

"I think I have the signal, I guess I will check it out, I do need to kill some time" Bren said and he dropped his stuff except his shotgun and his hunting rifle, also some basic supplied for scouting, like some water, soda, and medicine

"Alright me and Rick will go out, Charon you stay here and help Jericho, X, Charon here is a friend" Bren said

" ***Scanning*** understood, hello Char-on" X said and Charon grumbled as he took a seat at one of the metal chairs that Jericho found for the Super Duper mart. In about four days, he was able to upgrade the place, it had working lights, more food, and X was able to keep vermin out. Yep life was good for Jericho

Bren and Rick stepped out and began their hike north to the strange signal.

About an hour later of uneventful travel unless shooting three molerats counts as an event they made it to the crash site, what they saw surprised them both, they saw a UFO, and on the ground an small figure in a weird silver suit and they saw what they assumed was the creatures gun which looked like a dull silver/brown color and ammo lying about

Rick picked up the gun and looked it over

"How strange" Rick said clicking it, the shot almost hit Bren in the face, hitting a nearby rock, and they saw it melt into nothing

"Yikes" Bren said as Rick picked up the ammo and pocketed it

"Never seen a thing like this before" Rick said looking at the ship

Bren looked around the wreckage, judging by the scorch marks, it could have been recent but then he felt a light above him and the ship

"Uh Rick, what's going on?" Bren asked as he and the ship began to hover into the air

"Bren hang on" Rick shouted grabbing Bren's leg but alas he couldn't hang on to Bren and he fell to the ground and watched Bren fly higher and higher into the air

"Breeeeeeeeeeen!" Bren could hear from Rick and then he saw the large ship above him and he blacked out.

What he remembered was hazy but he remember odd green eyed creatures looking at him funny, and some odd device….and some other things but it was hazy.

"Hey wake up" A female voice said and Bren woke up, he was naked save for his Vault issued Boxers (his had a picture of Vault boy on them) as well as his Pip-boy he looked around, the place was bright and high tech and strange, he saw the African American woman, in only her outfit that Bren recognized as a similar kind as Three Dog

"Kid you alright?" She asked him

"My head hurts, where am I?" Bren asked looking around

"First off it isn't a dream, names Somah, and you have just been abducted" She explained

"Bren….and wait abducted" Bren realized what she said and shook his head

"There is no way that can be right" Bren said

"It can be and it is, I been here for about two months, I think at least" Somah said sighing, "Kinda hard to tell time in this place"

"Well what now?" Bren asked but his answer was Somah pushing him against a wall

"Quiet" She said as they saw a large claw go past them

"Alright it wasn't for us" She said as they saw a man get picked up from what Bren inferred was another cell

"So what now?" Bren asked again, he looked at the door, some sort of light beam stretched across it so he decided to hit it, bad move as it repulsed him and sent him flying into the wall

"Nice try, tried that my first day too" Somah said and Bren sighed

"Don't worry I have a plan" She said

"Ok spill it" Bren asked

"Well think about it, they aren't going to kill us yet, they want us alive for something but maybe if we fought each other a bit, you know put a show on so when they come in to break us up, we break them up if you catch my drift" She explained and Bren smiled at the plan, it made sense at the current situation

"Right, oh and don't hit me below the belt" Bren said and Somah laughed

"Fine now come on" Somah said and they started to throw some punches, to people watching, it looked like they were hurting each other but they were doing love taps instead of boxing punches

It wasn't long before two little green creatures ran to the cell, their eyes were big and Bren seemed to recall from his history assignment something about a place called Roswell having an encounter with aliens similar to these

They opened the cell and Somah smiled

"Get them" She said and Bren kicked one in the face and it fell to the ground in a heap of pain, the other shouted "Gre tu rom ono" and proceeded to hit Bren with its club which Bren felt a shock, he then punched it's face and he grabbed the other alien's club and back handed the skull of the alien cracking it's skull and sending green blood all over the wall, and for extra measure he smashed the other alien's skull

"Damn, you remind me of some people I know back in the Wasteland" Somah said picking up the other alien club

"You're from the Wasteland?" Bren asked peering outside cell and looking around.

"Yeah, caught me while I was scouting some ruins, Olney I think" She explained

"Almost got killed by a Deathclaw, I noticed that scar on your chest, was it from a…." She asked

"Yeah, almost got killed by one myself" Bren said walking out, he saw two more aliens run at him but he quickly took a defensive stance and slammed the club into the first ones face knocking it to the ground where it stayed. The other hit Bren in the side causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Somah came out of the cell and grabbed the alien by its neck and then slammed it against the wall where she heard a cracking of its skull.

"Come on we need to find way off this ship" Bren said pulling himself back up, he needed to get back to Earth, he needed to find his dad, and he needed to get his clothes back.


	9. New Allies and Enemies

Bren and Somah looked around the hallway, so far they had killed four aliens with what he decided to call the Shock Baton but it wouldn't help if more came and ganged up on them, he needed his stuff and fast, for two reasons, one he needed to have better protection and two he didn't feel conformable half naked next to this woman.

"Alright Somah lets go" Bren said walking forward, Somah stood behind him holding her own shock baton, so far they didn't see any more aliens coming for them

"Alright now if we want to get off I say we find whoever is in charge" Bren said looking around

"Yeah then what, ask them politely to send us back?" Somah replied, somewhat annoyed by the simple plan

"Worth a shot I suppose" Bren said grinning as they made it to another room, they looked at the door ahead and found no way to open it

"Great, just what I needed" Bren said looking around the room, he saw another door with a strange circler switch, above it was some holographic image of a door opening

"Think that could work?" Somah asked

"Maybe" Bren replied pressing his hand on it, the door opened and they heard the sound of a little girl

"Hey over here" The girl said and Bren and Somah walked over to her, she was in another cell with no way to open it, the girl's outfit seemed more prewar pink sweater and pants.

"I'm glad you are here, that other guy across from me was dull to talk to" She said pointing across the cell, they saw a man with a slight five a clock shadow in a prewar business suit and a fedora sleeping in his cell.

"Yeah, I see" Bren said turning back to the girl

"Say, want to help me get out, I know the ship pretty well" the girl said

"Uh sure" Bren said, this girl didn't seemed so worried about being on a ship

"Yeah, how do I get you out of there" Bren asked

"See that thing over there, press the button then press the buttons on the three other devices, it will get hot and blow up, and then free me" She explained

"Ok" Bren said walking to the device and he pressed the buttons, a mist came out of the module and Bren pressed the other switches down, he felt the heat from the device growing larger and he backed away just as it exploded

"Who the hell woke me up" a male voice said, he had a Brooklyn accent, of course never heard a Brooklyn voice before so he wouldn't know what it was

The fedora wearing man walked out of the cell and looked at Bren

"Nice panties" The man said pointing at Bren's boxers and Bren grumbled

"Call me Tony, so I assume you are a real person, or am I having a dream again" The man asked looking around

"Bren, that's Somah and that's….umm" Bren didn't know the girls name

"Sally, now come on, we need to head to the place where the boss alien is" She said running to the other door

"Aliens, god I fall asleep on the job and I get abducted….sheese Al ain't gonna like this when I get back" Tony said to himself following the group

Sally crawled through a nearby vent a disappeared

"Great she played us like a fiddle" Tony said as he saw her disappear

Before Bren could say something the door opened

"How did you…" Bren was about to ask her

"Oh I sometimes get out of my cell and explore the ship, just the right amount of wires can do all sorts of things" Sally explain, she then giggled a bit

"Right" Bren said looking around the next room, he saw an alien run out of a nearby room and Bren quickly took it out with a good timed swing

"Hey look Mr. they had some stuff in that room" Sally pointed out, Bren took a look in the containers and found his stuff, he finally put his outfit on, as well as arm himself with his shotgun

"Hey uh Bren was it, find a baseball bat in there and a sawed off shotgun?" Tony asked

"Yeah why?" Bren asked pulling them out of the container

"Those are mine" He said and Bren handed him the items

"Oh yeah, nothing like Ol Becky to clear a diner" Tony said looking at the shotgun, Bren handed him some shotgun ammo and Tony reloaded it, Bren could notice the bat had some red blood stains on it, and a few dents as well.

"Guys, I'm going to stay back, maybe check the place out" Somah said picking up a combat shotgun which Bren assumed to be hers

"Well come on guys" Sally said and the two followed her into a new hallway.

"Hold on, they know we left" Sally said peering around a corner noticing two more aliens

"Well lets rough em up" Tony said and he charged out at the two shock baton wielding aliens with his baseball bat, Bren may have cracked some skulls with the Shock Baton, but Tony, he literally created large holes in the skull, Bren could see the blue brains of the Alien's sticking out, Tony smashed the backs of the dead aliens for good measures

"What?" Tony asked as he saw the two looking at them oddly

"Um was that necessary?" Bren asked looking at the bodies

"Hey back on Earth I had to be ruthless, gangs don't control themselves" Tony said and they decided to continue to trek

"Hold up" Sally said looking around another corner, they saw two more aliens looking around, most likely for them, this time they were armed with what Bren assumed were guns

"Let me handle this" Bren said pulling out a frag grenade

"Brace yourself" Bren said pulling out the pin and rolling down the hallway, it exploded right at the feet of the two aliens, they never stood a chance by the blast

"Damn, I got myself some of those" Tony said as he saw the carnage, Bren took a look at the bodies and pick up the strange device, one looked like a rifle, while the other looked like a pistol

"Oh I sometimes see them carrying those" Sally said looking at them

"Must be some kind of weapon" Bren said as he put the guns into his pack, he had no idea how to use them but no sense in leaving them behind

They continued through the hallway taking down more aliens, when they soon came to a new room, it was large and Sally smiled

"We made it, now we can get to the top and go home" Sally said heading up some nearby stairs and then Tony and Bren heard a groan and ran up to see her looking at an odd circular pad

"They turned it off" Sally said frowning

"Turned what off?" Bren asked looking at the weird pad

"It was kinda like an elevator only sorta instant, now we need to go out into space" Sally said

"Into space, yeah right, next you are going to tell us that there are giant ants and huge green men roaming and Earth as well" Tony said shaking his head

"Well we are already in space right now" Bren pointed out to the man

"Point taken" Tony said and they follow Sally to another room across from where they were, they saw a large generator in the middle of a bridge that went three ways, it was pretty impressive once one thought about it.

"Take a look guys" Sally said pointing at some capsules, Bren touched the glass of one of them but it was cold

"Sometimes the aliens would put them in it, then they go asleep" Sally explained

"Hmm, strange" Tony said looking through the glass

"Alright let's see" Bren said pressing a button, the devices hissed and opened up and three people stepped out of the four pods, the last person in a strange suit fell to the ground

"Oh no, the space man died" Sally said looking at the man

One of the men wore strange metal armor and he seemed to looked Japanese. He looked around, and said to Bren, "Onushi wa nanimono? Koko wa dokoda?"

"Umm I don't understand" Bren said

"Sessha no ken! Sessha no ken wa dokoda?" He said, he seemed confused

"What are you talking about" Bren asked

"Nani wo itte orunoda. Kono chi ni mioboe no nai. Ittai sessha ni nani wo shita?" He said, he seemed worried

"Um are you alright" Bren asked

The Japanese man pointed to himself and said "Toshiro Kago"

"Umm Bren" Bren said pointing to himself

The man smiled then replied "Bren-San" then bowed and walked off, he seemed to be looking for something but Bren figured he wasn't a bad person, albeit someone who he couldn't understand but still

The next man wore a cowboy outfit and groaned as he shook his head

"Umm are you ok?" Bren asked

"No, now hands up" the cowboy said holding up a pistol at Bren

"Hold on, I'm not going to hurt you" Bren said, the last man seemed to wear some sort of army uniform, it was white and it had the US flag symbol on the front, along with the words "Medic" written on it

"Hold on, calm down, we aren't here to hurt you" The man said

"Alright" The cowboy said holstering his gun but he kept one hand near the holster just in case

"My name is Bren, what's yours" Bren asked the two

"Call me Paulsen" The cowboy said and he looked around the place

"Elliot Tercorien, serial number 3477809, Medic of the 108th Infantry Battalion in Anchorage" The solider said

"Anchorage?" Bren asked

"Yeah, I was on my way to the site with my squad so we could help them but the last thing I remember was a big glowing light covering me and my troops, next thing I know I wake up on a table then forced into that tube" Elliot explained, he then looked around

"You haven't seen any more men in similar armor like mine" He asked

"Sorry none" Bren said

"Cry me a river, now I want to get out now" Tony said annoyed

"Sorry for being concerned about my troops" Elliot said

"Whatever, all I need is my family and that's it" Tony said sitting down on a chair

"Guys we need a plan" Bren said

"I have one, we need to activate the teleporter to head to the top level, but since they deactivated it, we need to send Bren up to activate it in space" Sally explained

"Why me?" Bren asked

"Because you seem like the spaceman type of person" Sally answered and Bren sighed

"So what are we waiting for?" Somah asked, they turned to her, she had some green blood on her outfit like she got into a fight

"How long have you been there?" Bren asked

"Doesn't matter, what matters is that I'm ready to head home" Somah said

"We can't do it yet, if they see you outside they will kill us" Sally said

"So what do we do?" Bren asked

"Well we can slow them down by destroying some generators in three areas" Sally said

"How will that help?" Somah asked

"Yeah" Tony added

"It will suck out all the air and sending them flying out of the areas" Sally replied

"Guess that could work, where are the areas" Bren asked

"The Robot Assembly, the Cryo Lab, and the Hanger" Sally said

"Understood" Bren said looking at the spaceman

"Right, so we better look around, we might find some useful items" Bren said, and everyone went their separate ways, but they remained in the area because of safety in number

They may have been among the stars but soon Bren would return to Earth, he needed to get back as soon as possible.


	10. Garbage and Ice

Bren looked around; so far Somah and Paulsen found some supplies, most likely items that were taken along with people. Toshiro was meditating on his own, Bren remembered where he saw a guy like him, it was in history class and he heard about the Samurai, but he didn't have his sword which raised plenty of questions. Tony had found some cigarettes and proceeded to smoke them, he muttered about how he wanted cigars but they would do. Elliot was busy checking medical supplies and he found that using biogel that they found on some of the alien corpses that he could improve it, albeit a few side effects but still. Bren didn't see Sally anywhere which was a problem, as she was pretty much the smartest in this situation.

"Hey Paulsen have you seen Sally?" Bren asked him

"I think I saw her take that….uh what you call it, Teleborter?" Paulsen said pointing to the activated circler teleporter

Bren walked onto the glowing teleporter and he felt like he was launched into the air at 500 miles per hour. He reappeared in new area where he saw three steel (he thought they were steel) doors, one of them was opened and he saw Sally messing around with some wires, she was on her knees among refuge and garbage, it seemed to be some sort small garbage chute or something

"What an incredible smell you discovered" Bren said to her startling her

"Yikes, don't scare me" Sally said continuing with the work

"Look lets head back" Bren said

"Hold on, I want to try something" Sally said as she connected two more wires and with a spark the doors behind them shut

"Please open the door" Bren requested but then he felt the small room go down

"Here we go" Sally said giggling, Bren was worried

The side opened up and they saw out of the window a strange man in green armor, he had a visor on, and he just got shot by an alien, he could have sworn he heard an alien shout "Demon"

The window shut and they went down further, they heard some mooing and when the window opened Sally shouted "Cows, we got cows!"

Bren was a little confused, those weren't cows, they were two headed Brahmin as Rick pointed out back in Megaton

The windows shut again and they went down further, the window opened and they saw six aliens looking at them

There was a slight pause as both parties stared at each other for what felt like five minutes, but was really 5 seconds

"Gry Berta deo gry" One of the aliens shouted as they pointed their weapons at Bren and Sally, before they got shot the window shut and they went down

"That was close" Sally said as they stopped once again

"I'm going to check and see where we are" Sally said as she climbed out the window

"Wait Sal-" Before Bren could finish the window shut tight and the room went down, but it was much faster than before, it sent Bren to the ground and the next thing he knew the floor opened and he and about 10 pounds of garbage fell into an even larger pile of junk

"Ohhh my leg" Bren moaned, he checked it, it was ok, but he was mad. If he got out of this, that girls should get a spanking or something for his trouble.

"Hey you ok?" Sally's voice said and Bren got up and looked at Sally, she somehow got to his level but she was on a platform

"You ok?" Bren asked trying to be a good person despite the situation

"Yeah, sorry about that" Sally said

"Well I guess we better head back the way we came" Bren said

"Not unless your Captain Cosmos with a jetpack" Sally said

"Captain who….never mind, I guess I will try to get out on my own" Bren said looking around, he saw a passage out of the area and limped out, his leg wasn't broken but it hurt like hell, he was going to need to find a stimpack

He looked around and saw a large floating machine, it was a robot but it wasn't like the ones down on Earth, it turned to Bren and it stared at him, and without warning charged at him slamming him into a wall, not so much that it hurt but it was going to leave bruise

"So that's how you want to play huh?" Bren said as he shoved the machine aside and moved behind it, it turned slowly and by the time it faced Bren it got an optic scanner full of lead shotgun shells

"Gotta watch that" Bren muttered as he continued walking through the halls, he was many broken items and containers, some of which he could recognize from Earth

"Hmm, seems they been getting a lot of stuff over the years" Bren said to himself, but that train of thought broke when two aliens armed with small one handed blasters ran in, they shouted something but Bren figured it was get him, so he fired his hunting rifle at one of them blasting its brains out. He then got behind cover as the second one continued to fire, and when he hear the laser fire stop he jumped out from behind cover and shot twice in its chest killing it.

"I really need to get out of here" Bren said as he continued through the hallways

He soon saw some strange things, for starters some large devices seemed to crush some of the trash, it was an odd thing to look at

"Could they be using some of the trash as fuel?" Bren thought

Next he found a box with an overcoat inside along with a note attached to it " Give to General Chase," he had no idea who this man was but the coat was pretty warm, and in this cold metal environment it was a nice thing to have on.

"Hey Bren hold up" Sally's voice said and Bren looked around confused

"Where are you?" Bren asked trying to figure out where she is

"I'm speaking to you through some speakers I found, three aliens are right behind you, do something" Sally said to him

Bren looked around and found something useful, a frag mine, he picked it up and set it in the path way, covered a little garbage on it to mask it and he ran a little further off, sure enough the trio of aliens walked to him, two had shock batons, but the other had a rifle

"Hey Green men, can't catch me" Bren shouted and he ran off, the aliens followed and learned to look where you step, or at least they would have had they not lost their limbs and lives

Bren continued onwards and soon met up with Sally (albeit being held hostage by an alien)

The alien held an alien pistol to her head and said to Bren something, most likely a threat to stand down

"Look, I don't want any trouble" Bren said to the alien, but it seemed to anger it more as it spoke louder

"Bren, help" Sally shouted

Bren set his shotgun down and held his hands up

"See, I'm not being aggressive" Bren said calmly as to not aggravate it

The alien looked at the gun then at Bren, it called out something and two more aliens ran to his side

"Sally, now" Bren said and he made a stomping motion as the aliens grabbed his arms

Sally took a moment to understand but then she got the message and stomped on the alien's foot forcing it to let go

Bren then took down three aliens with a relative ease with his hunting rifle and then picked up the shotgun

"You ok Sally?" Bren asked her

"Yeah, thanks, you are like Captain Cosmos when he rescued Sara from the evil Xenomorphs" Sally said hugging Bren's leg

Bren smiled and tussled her hair

"Come on, we better get out of here" Bren said

"Wait check this out" Sally said pointing to a small closet sized storage area

Bren looked at the items, one thing that stood out was a sword, it looked like a Japanese sword

"Interesting" Bren said picking it up and admiring it; he was also able to grab some medical supplies that he knew that Elliot would love to have around

The two went into a nearby teleporter and made it back to the area surprising Elliot

"What the heck?" He shouted, "What happened?" He asked

Sally and Bren looked at each other

"Nothing" Both said, they both decided not to tell the others what happened, that is until Elliot noticed the coat Bren was wearing

"That coat….that looks like General Chase's" He said

"Who?" Bren asked

"Oh sorry I forgot, you see I told you I was from Anchorage, he was my general, where did you get that?" He asked

"I found it in some junk" Bren said

"I see, so I guess the aliens must have hit a supply crate or something" Elliot said and he walked off

Bren walked over to the others who were surrounding an alien

"Hey don't hurt him" Sally shouted

Everyone looked at her

"It's a worker, they don't hurt people" Sally explained

"Yeah right, I say we beat him to an inch of his life and send him to them as a message" Tony suggested

The alien pulled out a small device and everyone trained a gun on him, Bren watched as the alien spoke into it, and out of the device came out English words

"Please, don't hurt me" The box said in a monotone tone

"It can talk?" Somah asked

The alien spoke again

"In translation my name would be Lenora, please don't hurt me, listen to my words" The device translated

"Talk scum" Paulsen demanded, his pistol still trained on the alien

"I understand, I mean you no harm, my people have come to your planet to take you, they are changing your species to mutations" Lenora explained

"How so and why?" Bren asked

"Invasion is the answer, they plan to take over the planet" Lenora said, his tone seemed sad

"Wait so why do you want to help us?" Elliot asked

"What we are doing is wrong, when I heard some prisoners were causing trouble I realized it was time to help" Lenora said, Paulsen and Somah stopped aiming their guns at him, Tony still held his sawed off shotgun at him

"I wish to help" Lenora said

"Ok, first tell us what that device is" Bren requested

"This is a translator, I was able to make it so we could understand the language of your planet, in your language you call it English" Lenora explained

"I see, that seems useful" Elliot said

"Fancy toy" Paulsen said not quite understanding the science behind it

"Right, so any ideas how to stop the aliens" Bren asked

"I would recommend going into our cryogenics lab, there you could find more allies that have been cryogenically frozen" Lenora said

"Let me come" Elliot said

"Why?" Bren asked

"I might be able to properly revive them, I have some skills in cryogenics" Elliot said

"Good idea" Bren said as he walked to the pile of items, he decided to drop off some stuff he found, including the coat, but he walked pasted Toshiro he looked at the sword he held

"Uh Toshiro, is this yours" Bren asked

Toshiro opened his eyes and looked at the sword, a smile came to his face as he took the sword and examinational it

"Oh, sessha no ken! Kaeshite moraerutowa, katajikenai." He said, and he bowed to Bren

"Sumanuga, sessha mizukara korekara okorukotoni sonaeneba naranu." Toshiro said and he continued to meditate, he sword was now at his side

"You're welcome" Bren said as he an Elliot walked into the Cryo lab, Lenora stayed behind to help the others

Bren's first reaction to being in the lab was the cold

"Jeeze, how cold is this place" Bren asked Elliot

"I would say around 40 degrees, maybe 30, I'm ok thanks to my armor" Elliot said, Bren however regretted not bring the overcoat

"Right" Bren said looking around, he saw through a clear window into another room and they saw the aliens unfreezing someone

"Hey look, we better help him" Elliot said but before they could run in they saw the man use some takedown techniques to take out the aliens, they then heard the man say, "Черт зеленых человечков."

They ran in and saw the man, his outfit was strange to the duo, it was all once piece in a dark blue, the golden buttons ran down the coat, and he turned to them, his face was shallow and deep, his eyes a dark brown. His hair was short and cut, it was a dark brown.

"Кто вы?" The man asked

"Hey that's Russian" Elliot said

"Ah American soldiers" The man said

"You speak English?" Elliot asked

"Of course, tell me what year is it?" The man asked, his accent was deeply Russian, and his voice was low and serious

"I….I don't know" Elliot said

The man sighed

"Its 2277" Bren said

"Impossible, I….wait that light could it have been?" The man said to himself, he clutched his head he was trying to remember what happened to him

"I'm sorry where are my manners, my name is Aleksandr Petrokov" He said holding his hand out

Elliot shook it

"Elliot" He said

"Bren" Bren said and Alek nodded his head

"So where are we?" Alek asked

"An Alien ship" Bren said

"I find that hard to believe, but then again I seen some strange things" Alek said, he looked around and found a container, he looked inside and pulled out a strange hat, it was a Ushanka which he put on, he then pulled out a small SMG and pistol. The SMG was PPSh-41 which he reloaded with the ammo that was in it. The pistol was a TT pistol which he kept to his side, he checked then pulled out a small knife, it had an inscription on the side which Bren couldn't read because it was in Russian.

"Right, what is the plan?" Alek asked the duo…


	11. A Russian's story

"….and so then we have to destroy the three generators to allow me to go outside" Bren had just finished explaining what was going on to Aleksandr or Alek for short.

"I see, then allow me to show them the true power of a Russian solider" Alek said drawing his pistol and preparing it for any threats along the way.

The trio continued onwards, both admiring and worrying about the advanced technology that they were immersed in.

"This is fascinating isn't it" Elliot said looking at some of the people frozen

"Agreed, but the fact they are doing this is wrong, no matter what reason" Alek said, he then turned around and fired his pistol

"What the hell?" Elliot shouted and Alek pointed to the dead body of an alien who tried to sneak up on them with a shock baton

"Next time pay attention to your surrounding" Alek said looking around for anymore aliens

"Right" Elliot said looking back at the dead body

"Come on we need to find the generator" Bren said as they continued walking they soon came to a new room where Elliot's eyes widened, he saw three men on a table being cut up by some aliens from the window to a room next door

"No, it can't be" He said and then he looked at a switch and pressed it, Cryo mist flooded the room and the aliens inside banged their fists on the window in a desperate attempt to escape their death

"How do you like that you bastards" Elliot shouted, he then gave them the middle finger and watched them fall to the ground dead and frozen

They walked into the room and Elliot looked at the three men

"No….Rheems, Spurlock, Mears….I'm sorry" Elliot said, he was crying and Bren realized these must have been his men

"Elliot…" Bren said, he was about to walk to him when Alek placed a hand on his shoulder and wouldn't let go

"I understand his pain" Alek said

"What do you mean?" Bren asked

"I will explain when we return, for now we have a job. Solider!" Alek shouted and Elliot looked up

"Is this what an American solider does? Mourn in the middle of the battle….finish the battle then we mourn them" Alek said, his voice stern

Elliot looked at the bodies of his former comrades then he clenched his fist and grabbed his assault rifle nearby

"You're right, come on lets show these green bastards whose boss" Elliot said and Alek smiled, if he has to work with this solider he might as well make sure he is doing something productive

"Let go get em" Bren said and they continued to the next room where they saw two tubes and two people inside them, each wore an armor similar to Elliot's

"No way, its Daniel and Beckett" Elliot said, he looked around and saw a nearby computer

"If I can figure out how to defrost them properly we can get them out of there" Elliot said as he looked at the literally alien text

"But is it a good idea?" Bren asked

"I'm not going to let them become a frozen T.V. dinner, damn it they must have put so many chemicals in them, I don't know what will happen to them" Elliot said looking at the screen

Alek was silent but it was clear he was deep in thought

Bren looked at the duo

"Elliot, I will let you decide what happens to them" Bren said trusting in his decision

"Pull the switch" Elliot said and Bren pressed the button, the pods opened and the two soldiers looked around

"Where the hell are we?" The African American asked, he looked to the other one who was equally confused

"Men, attention, now I don't have time to explain, but I will make it short, we were taken by aliens, the rest are dead, and we are gonna kick their asses for taking us and other people" Elliot said and the two took this and nodded deciding to call this a dream or something

"Here, I saved some assault rifles" Elliot said handing them the weapons

"I also have bad news….I don't know how long you will last, the aliens must have injected some sort drug in you, I'm sorry" Elliot said

"Then lets kick their ass" The other one said undeterred by this information and he cocked his rifle

"Bren I'm going to grab some of the Cryo material, I might be able to use it as a weapon" Elliot said taking a few canisters of the chemicals

They walked to the next area and they stood down, they could see on the level below some aliens working, and Bren noticed inside the tubes, something more recent from the Wasteland, Super Mutants

"Hey Elliot, hold your fire" Bren said as he inched his way to a switch

"Hey aliens enjoy the present" Bren said to himself as he pressed the switch and the tubes unfroze, two very annoyed super mutants stepped out and looked at the aliens

"Little green man, become big pile of hurt!" One of them shouted and smashed one into a green bloody mess.

"What is that?" Alek asked holding his pistol at the creatures head

"Super Mutant, trust me do not cross" Bren said and they stopped to listen to the cries of pain of aliens who try to stop the mutants

"Little men die too quickly" One of them said to the other

"But their weapons strange, and where are we, I want to go back to vault, and make more of us" The other replied

"True, but it your idea to head to settlement, we rest but then strange light got us" The first said

"Hey mutants" Bren said, the two mutants looked up and saw Bren holding a frag grenade

"Catch" Bren said pulling the pin and dropping it; oddly enough one of the mutants caught it and looked at it

"What do I win?" It asked, its "Prize" was a large explosion which killed him, and wounded his friend

"You killed my brother, DIE!" It shouted and it ran up the stairs to attack Bren

"Not good" Bren said but then the sound of four assault rifles sounded in the air as Alek, Elliot and the two soldiers turned the mutant into swish cheese before it could grab and choke Bren

"Thanks guys" Bren said as they reloaded the ammo

"No probl-"One of the soldiers said but then he clutched his chest

"Are you ok?" Elliot asked but then both fell to the ground

"No the chemicals, they must be catching up" Elliot said as he saw the men sweating and panting

"No, what do I do, I wasn't trained for something like this" Elliot said but then two gun shots rang out and Bren saw Alek holding a smoking gun, two bullet wounds right in the hearts of the suffering men, they died almost instantly

"Why did you do that?" Elliot shouted to Alek

"They were suffering, you said it yourself, there was nothing you could do, I'm sorry for your loss but it is better for them to die quickly rather than suffer any further" Alek said and he sighed

"But how can you be so heartless?" Elliot asked and Alek held his pistol up to Elliot

"Don't think I haven't lost my comrades, at least you didn't see them be killed right in front you in a horrible way" Alek said, his voice had a lot of anger in it

"What are you talking about?" Elliot asked

"I remember one thing before they unfroze me, I woke up on a table, and I could see my soldiers, across from me, three of them alive as I came too, and I then saw them cut them up like a steak all while they screamed for the sweet embrace of death. They had no remorse as I saw them kill my friends slowly" Alek shook, not from cold but the memory

"My men didn't deserve this death, not without a fight, your men didn't deserve to suffer like mine did" Alek said as he put his gun back into his coat pocket, "after that all I remember is a blank" he added

"I'm sorry, I really am" Elliot said

"We both have head a rough time, but now is not the time to mourn them, come on let's find the generator" Alek said focusing on the mission

They made it to the back and Bren set up the modules to explode, and after the module blew up they teleported back to the main floor.

They went back inside and as they walked inside Alek pulled out his pistol

"Damn it an alien" He said aiming at Lenora

"Hold on, he is with us" Elliot said

"I see…." Alek said lowering his weapons a bit confused but he was willing to trust them on this one

"Guys come here, I want to introduce you to someone" Bren shouted and they came to him, minus the Toshiro who couldn't understand them

"Guys meet Aleksandr, we found him in the Cryolab and he agreed to help us" Bren explained

"I'm Somah" Somah said to Alek

"Paulsen" Paulsen said

"Tony Fetora, and don't you forget it" Tony said holding his fingers up like a gun and making a clicking motion to make his point.

"My name is Sally" Sally said and Alek gave a rare smile. His normal expression of seriousness had a calming smile

"In your language I would be called Lenora, I am glad to have met you" Lenora said though the translator

"We have a man named Toshiro around here but he is a Samurai and can't understand us" Bren said

"I understand, besides I never could understand Japanese anyway, could we sit down so I could explain my story" Alek asked

"Ok" Bren said, everyone sat down around him while he ate some snack cakes ("Odd American food" He said)

"My name is Aleksandr Petrokov, and I was stationed at Stalingrad as a Soviet Lieutenant with command over a Katyusha rocket company" Alek explained

"Wait Stalingrad, the Stalingrad as the one that was one of the most famous victories in World War II?" Elliot asked

"So we won, that's good to know" Alek said with relief in his voice

"My brother Nikolai was a tank driver also in Stalingrad, he was one of the best tank drivers at the time, and he was a good older brother….oh how I miss him" Alek said

"We all miss our family" Bren said, he could speak for everyone on that one.

"Anyway my squad were preparing for the battle the next day when a strange light engulfed us and our Katyusha rocket truck, and I saw those alien bastards….cut up my men right in front of me" Alek's knuckles seemed to turn white from his tight grip.

"Anyway that's about it for my story" Alek said

"So you were in Stalingrad" Elliot asked

"Correct" Alek said nodding his head.

"Wait your telling me we had another world war, damn it, I mean I already lost my pops to the first one" Tony said annoyed

"Tony, after World War II we had at least 8 more wars" Elliot said

"And then, 2077, boom" Bren said

"Right, for now I believe we should get some more supplies, Alien, tell me do you know where we could find more supplies?" Alek asked

"The Cargo hold is where we collect, store, and test items we take from your planet, I suggest that location" Lenora said

"Sounds like a good idea, Bren you come with me" Alek said

"Right" Bren said and Lenora directed them to the door.

"Let's go" Alek said cocking his pistol, ready for anything beyond the doors.


	12. Fun in the Cargo Hold

Bren and Alek made their way into the storage area, but before they went onto the walkway platforms Alek held his hand up stopping Bren

"Hold on for a moment" He said and he held his SMG at his side and looked around the corner

"Damn" He muttered and he turned to Bren, "Two aliens and some kind of metal floating thing"

"It's a robot" Bren said to the Russian

"Do you have a grenade?" He asked and Bren handed him a frag grenade, it was the last one he had on him

"Last one, make it count" Bren said quietly

Alek pulled the pin and rolled it along the walk way, it stopped short of the robot and blew it to kingdom come and wounded the aliens

"FOR THE MOTHERLAND!" Alek shouted as he charged forward, bullets sprayed from his PPSh-41 and the aliens became lifeless bullet filled husks

"Come on, we need to get the supplies" Alek said reloading the SMG and looking around for anymore aliens

They continued along the pathway and shot at another alien whom ran to the noise and its corpse fell to the lower level below. Soon they saw a mother load of treasure; they saw containers for ammo, medicine, a terminal that was still on, even three Nuka Cola machines

"Spread out and let me know if you find something" Alek said as he took a nearby bag and filled it with food and water that was lined up on a shelf, why they were was anyone's guess but this was no time for thought on that

Bren took a look at the terminal and hacked it hoping to find out what it did, and he saw some data entries

Log Entry 4-11-2063

"_They think we're stupid; that we have no idea what they're up to. But we know. Barbed wire topped fences and security cameras be damned! We'll get the truth to come out if it's the last thing we do! The conspiracy has to end, and we will be the ones who drag it from the shadows and cast it into the spotlight for all to see. They deny everything. They deny the place even exists! But here we are, faced with armed guards who patrol the dunes and robotic sentries calculating our every move. They're careful, but not careful enough. I've found a loophole, a way in, and I mean to exploit it soon."_

Log Entry 4-15-2063

"_We've done it! We have it in our hands! The smoking gun... the evidence we need to prove that everything they've told the world is a lie! Now let's try to see them weasel their way out of this one and make petty excuses. The only reason they've been so successful this long is because of the lack of proof on our part. Now that's all over. As soon as the coast is clear, we're bringing this thing to the press. But for now, we need to lay low. No telling how long it'll take before they discover how we did it."_

Log Entry 4-16-2063

"_They're closing in! How did they find out? What did we miss? I thought we'd covered our tracks, but there must be something we'd forgotten. The security logs were completely erased, the inventory files were rewritten... that only leaves Doctor Morley! That bastard! He approached us saying he wanted to crack The Conspiracy wide open, and all the while he was playing us like fools! He just wanted to expose us, to bring us out into the open so they could eliminate us! Well, it's not going to work! They'll never find us and they'll never get their hands on the item!"_

Log Entry 5-01-2063

"_Banks is dead. Combs is dead. I'm the only member of Quaere Verum left. I'm not certain how much longer I'll be safe here. I'm placing the item inside a specially constructed safe with a remote lock trigger. It'll take a damn genius hacker to get into this terminal and the safe can withstand anything they throw at it. Tomorrow I take the terminal and the safe, and I'm going to bury it out in the desert where they'll never find it. Hopefully, one day, someone else will discover the item and realize that they hold the key to unlocking the truth. All they need to do is succeed where we have failed. Good luck to us all."_

"Huh?" Bren asked himself and he looked around, he soon came to a pile of refuge near a hole that from what he thought was from the floor above, kept getting stuff dropped into it. He found a safe and opened it, inside was some energy cells, a note, and some strange pistol that looked like it came from a Science fiction comic.

"What is it?" Bren thought as he looked at the weapon, it was crude and heavy and he never seen anything like this, so he took a look at the note which said:

"_Project Name: MPLX (Military Plasma Experimental) "Novasurge"_

_Item: Prototype Plasma Pistol  
Section: A61  
Dept. Head: Doctor Aldwin Morley  
Report Number: 040663-02_

_The Novasurge has proven to be a tough nut to crack. The output is still very high, causing massive injury to targets, but it's drawing far too much power from its energy cells. We also need to get the weight down on the weapon, as it's a bit heavy for a simple replacement sidearm. The problem still seems to be the coolant coils which are accounting for almost 50% of the weapon's weight. The good news is that the housing for the weapon has been approved, and this is likely the final design. Unfortunately, I need to increase our staff's hours to seven days a week again so we can have the final prototype ready for testing by the end of the year. "_

"What an odd device" Bren thought as he put the note and weapon into his backpack, he got up and looked around at some of the stuff the Aliens brought up. Alek had a full pack of items

"Hmm this is interesting, it looks like some sort of missile launcher" Alek said holding up the more recent version that was found in the wasteland

"That sounds right, of course I have no idea how to use it" Bren said

"Then I guess I will carry it then" Alek said strapping it to his back

He got up and looked around the area

"Bren lets go further, I think we may find some new items" Alek said as he looked around, he saw a new teleporter that was active

"That looks promising" Alek said as he and Bren stepped on and were transported, what they saw astounded them, at around the size of 10 football fields was a room of many machines, some as old as the Steam Engine to what Bren thought looked like a 747 from his old history books

"My god" Alek said as he looked around, something caught his eye and he ran away from Bren

"Hey wait up" Bren shouted as he followed the Russian, he soon caught up with him and Alek was just staring at a tank, on its side was an inscription in Russian, "За Родину, обещают брата, подписал Александр Петроков, и Николай Петроков"

"Alek?" Bren asked looking at him

Alek didn't answer; he just stared at the inscription, his fist clenched tightly

"What does it say?" Bren asked

"For the Motherland, a brother's promise, signed Aleksandr Petrokov, and Nikolai Petrokov" Alek said, he had tears in his eyes

"Wait, you mean this tank was your brother's?" Bren asked

"A T-34 tank, my brother was one of the drivers, the aliens must have taken him as well" Alek said, he clutched his SMG tightly and said "Эти ублюдки будут платить" which if you understood what he said, he would have said "Those bastards will pay"

"Come Bren let's take a look around, I want to see if they have something" Alek said and Bren nodded

They walked around the area and Alek could notice some familiar items, along with the T-34 tank, he saw some supply crates marked in Russian (for Clothes), a crate full of ammo for his SMG and Pistol which he stocked up on. He even found a fighter plane which surprised both Bren and Alek. But soon they came to a large organ pipe like vehicle; it was green and slightly rusted around the wheels.

"Should have known they have it here" Alek said smiling; only it wasn't a smile of joy more of the smile of a person who is on the warpath

"What is it?" Bren asked

"This is a Katyusha rocket truck, mine because only mine had four rockets loaded at the time" He said pointing at the loaded pipes

"Wow" Bren said looking at it

"Hold on, I hear something" Alek said and he climbed on top of a nearby prewar car, and pulled out some binoculars from his pack

"Damn it, those robots are in here, at least 30 of them, and they are getting close" Alek said

"We can't take them all down on our own" Bren said

"We don't have to, listen draw their attention while I set up the truck, when I give the signal, run like hell back here" Alek explained

"Got it" Bren said and Alek jumped into the truck and started it up with his key that he had on his person. He soon began preparing the rockets to arm in a certain spot

Bren moved through the maze of cars and other prewar large items and soon he came face to face with the robots

"Hey tin cans, over here" Bren shouted and he narrowly avoided five green orbs being shot at him

"You better hurry" Bren thought as he fired his shotgun at one taking it down but then his gun clicked, he was out of ammo

"Oh crap" Bren said to himself, he couldn't reload while being chased, he vowed to never go into a fight without reloading if he ever survived this

He narrowly avoided the green balls of energy and soon he heard something

"RUN!" Alek shouted and Bren understood, it was time to make like an atom and split….and not get blown up while doing that

He ran just as the four rockets flew into the air, they were angled enough so they didn't hit the ceiling but they were able to make it to the 29 robots, the explosion was loud and cars and other vehicles blew up, Bren could feel the heat behind him as he ran but he made it back to Alek while smiled

"At least now they know not to mess with us" Alek said and Bren smiled

"Come we must return with the supplies" Alek said and the duo walked back to the teleporter and returned back to the group

"Have fun? We heard an explosion all the way from up here" Somah said

"Well we found a rocket truck and blew up some robots" Bren said

"Any supplies?" Elliot asked

"Plenty" Alek replied and he dropped the large stuffed pack on the ground and Elliot took a look inside

"Perfect, this is enough food, water, and medicine to last us at least a weak" He said smiling

"Good, so we don't starve" Tony said looking at the food

"Hey anyone see Toshiro?" Bren asked, he hasn't seen or heard from him

"Yeah I haven't seen him" Elliot said

"Nope, nothing" Tony replied

"I thought someone else would watch him" Paulsen said

"He must have wandered off" Somah said and everyone figured that to be true

Bren decided to eat and rest for a bit, he was tired and hungry and he figured it would be better to be prepared before taking down more generators

Elliot turned to Alek

"Hey I was wondering" Elliot said

"What about?" Alek asked

"You speak English but aren't you a Communist?" Elliot asked

"I was a merchant back in Moscow, I learned most of my English from American suppliers, they needed able bodied men so I was trained and put to war" Alek explained

"Makes sense I suppose" Elliot said

"Tell me did we ever kill Adolf Hitler?" Alek asked

"According to history he was found dead by poison, we suspect suicide" Elliot explain

"The bastard deserved to be tortured to an inch of his life then killed but at least he died" Alek said, he almost seemed disappointed

"Yeah, so you don't seem like a Communist" Elliot said

"How so?" Alek asked, his hand was near his pistol

"Back in Anchorage we were fighting Communists, we were told they were heartless, and soulless bastards….well at least that's what my superiors told me" Elliot said and Alek laughed

"You Americans are something, allow me to explain, Communism means everyone is equal, we have the same houses, the same benefits, no one is better than another….however our leader is the one who makes the rules." Alek explained, "I can understand why American had trouble with that, the very notion of a rich man being equal to a poor man would make them sick"

"Never looked at it that way" Elliot said nodded his head in thought

"I'm glad to have enlightened you, and that I don't have to kill you for insulting my way of life" Alek said, whether or not he was serious was anyone's guess

"Me too, I would hate to have killed you either" Elliot said and both looked at each other, mentally attacking each other but then both laughed together

"So any family?" Elliot asked

"My wife, most beautiful woman in all of Russia, hair as golden as the sun, a body as fine as art, a voice that was like an angel, oh Alla…." Alek was cut off

"She would have gotten the news of me being missing in action, my daughter Polina would have been 10 by the time I supposed to return…." Alek looked at the ground

"I understand, I had a girl back in Washington who I was going to marry when the war was over, course now I'm not sure if she got married or not when she found out I never returned" Elliot said

"We both had rough lives, but I'm glad to have met you my comrade" Alek said and they shook hands

"Quick with the mushy stuff" Tony said making a gagging motion and he walked off to talk to Paulsen

Back with Bren he was drinking some Nuka Cola, according to the date, it was made in 2067 and it was still good

"Hard to believe this stuff can kick on kicking" Bren thought when Lenora came to him

"Bren, you should go into the robot assembly, destroy it and you could limit their production" Lenora suggested, "I suspect that the rest are planning to use more robots to attack us"

"Good idea" Bren said

"Let me come along, I may be able to help you tinker with them, I could take apart and rebuild a Protectron with my eyes closed" Somah said bragging

"Alright lets go" Bren said and they made their way to the Robot assembly


	13. An Alien's Threat

Bren and Somah had been walking through the robot assembly; so far it was pretty impressive to the two Earthlings

"Damn, with just this room alone, the tech here could beat the brotherhood any day" Somah said smiling at the cool tech

"So Somah what's your story" Bren asked as Somah took a look inside the circuits of the robot they took down together, she had used a pulse grenade they found to stop it without breaking it, the aliens who were nearby, not so lucky.

"Eh, what is there to talk about, me…uh you don't know any regulators?" Somah asked

"No….what's a regulator?" Bren asked, he heard the term from Jericho but other than that he had no idea who or what they were

"A Regulator hunts raiders and Talon company, they are like enforcers of the peace….well whatever is left in this fucked up world" She said, she had pulled out a circuit board and was examining it

"I see, no I don't know any" Bren said honestly

"I was a mechanic for some raiders and slavers, kinda of a mercenary mechanic to be honest, they pay me the caps to fix a Protectron, a slave collar, or hell I once repaired a large security bot, course it was running wild and I almost lost my leg to a missile, point being, in the eyes of a regulator I would be a threat to them" Somah said to Bren

"So what now? Will you kill me for being friends with a raider?" Somah asked

"No, I'm friends with a former raider, tough guy too" Bren said

"Former Raider? Wait, you mean Ol Jericho?" Somah asked

"Yeah, me and my friend met him about to get killed by his gang at the Super Duper Mart" Bren said and Somah laughed

"That old bastard is still kicking, I'll be damned" Somah said surprised

"Yeah, he is helping set up a base for me and my friends…." Bren trailed off, they must be worried about him, it's been about two days now, at least that's what he thought, he couldn't really tell time in space.

"When this is over, I'm gonna head down back into the Capital Wasteland" Somah said, the arms of the robot had been taken off and she admired them

"What for?" Bren asked

"Jericho still owes me 630 caps, and no I won't tell you why" Somah said, and Bren had a confused look in his eyes but he left it at that

"Alright now this alien tech is a little complicated but I think I can make it so the robot is working, and I can run it into a room with some explosives, had me that plasma grenade in my pack" Somah asked as she tinkered with the circuit board

Bren handed her the plasma grenade and she inserted it inside the head and soon the robot was back together and up and running

"Alright, Bren I want you to blow up part of that machinery, try messing with the computer there" Somah said and Bren took a look, he couldn't understand the text on the screen but he was able to over load the system through trial and error on the keypad, too bad it was set for five seconds so he fell to the ground slightly burned

"Remind me never to do that again" Bren said to Somah who laughed, but she smiled at the hole that was made, it moved to the next room and she sent the robot into it

The aliens looked at the robot and crowded it, it would seem they could feel something was off, they realized something was off when it exploded in a cloud of green energy turning them into piles of goo

"Eww" Bren said looking at the goo, from one of the piles he found a strange device that didn't seem to be turned into goo

"Hey Somah any ideas what this is?" Bren asked holding it up

"No idea" She said and Bren pressed a button for kicks when all of a sudden an inactive robot's eyes lit up and started moving, before they open fired on it, they noticed it wasn't attacking them, just hovering in front of them, like it was waiting for something

"Somah, maybe I found a controller for them" Bren said realizing what it was

"Makes sense, either way we have a generator to destroy" She said looking around

They soon made it to the generator and Bren overloaded the system blowing it up like the other one

"That was a easily as smashing a radroach" Somah said as they went back to the main area

"Wow Bren, you did it, only one more left" Sally said impressed

"Gotta hand it to you, you are doing good" Tony said smiling

"Right, hey Paulsen could you give me a hand for the last one" Bren asked him, he was admiring a small toy they found, it looked like a metal robot version of a horse.

"Why not, bout time I kill some alien bastards….present company excluded" Paulsen said looking at Lenora who was sitting at a small table with Sally, along with a tea set

"It's ok" Lenora said

"More tea Mr. Lenora?" Sally asked holding the teapot full of imaginary tea

"Yes thank you" Lenora said

Paulsen and Bren made their way into the hanger area, what they saw surprised them

"My god, what is that thing?" Paulsen asked pointing at what looked like a flying Saucer

"I saw that before they took me, I think it is a flying Saucer" Bren said walking closer, it seemed to be floating in suspended animation or something like that but before he could get a closer look Paulsen pulled him back

"Kid, look down" Paulsen said and Bren looked down...and down…..and down, and saw that he was looking at his home planet

"I don't think you want to know whether it will be the fall or the landing that will kill you first" Paulsen said as they looked around, the aliens seemed to not have noticed their presence, that or they were preparing an ambush

"It's a little too quiet, am I right?" Paulsen asked holding up his pistol, ready for anything

"I know right" Bren said looking around, he kept his hunting rifle out just in case

"Well saddle up pilgrim and keep your eyes opened" Paulsen said as they made their way to the top of the area, Bren assumed it was the control area

"Damn it they set up some kind of….wall?" Paulsen said looking at the force field that blocked the door to get into the generator room

"Well maybe we should wait for it to go away or something" Bren said

"Might as well" Paulsen said annoyed

"I never got the chance to ask, what's your story?" Bren asked, Paulsen then held his gun to Bren's face

"Allow me to explain, I don't trust you enough to say personal stuff" Paulsen said, he was glaring at Bren

"Look I just wanted to know, you seem tense, I'm here for you" Bren said

Paulsen lowered the gun and sighed

"I hate those green bastards, why? Here is why, they took me away from my family, my wife and son, I was going to teach my son how to ride his first horse the next day….so before I went to bed I decided to look at the moon, a beautiful full moon, had to have been there. The next thing I know I see some strange metal glowing thing in the sky, so I shot it, and nothing happened, and then a bright light surrounded me and took me up. Never saw them ever since" Paulsen said, he looked down at the ground

"Paulsen, I'm sorry. Elliot and Alek had the same thing going with them, I'm sure Tony and Sally as well, but know this, we are not alone here. We will look out for each other" Bren said putting a hand on Paulsen's shoulder

Paulsen got close to Bren and hugged him

"Thanks, you are a good friend" Paulsen said, he had some tears in his eyes but he sucked them up, only woman cried, not men, or at least in his thoughts

"I think I know how to open the door" Bren said, he took a look at the computer nearby and he pressed a few buttons, the alarmed sounded

"That is not good" Bren said as Paulsen looked over the edge to see aliens coming in from the nearby teleporters

"We got company" Paulsen said

"And we can't handle them all" Bren said and he looked around the area, he looked around as the aliens seemed to formulate a plan

"What are we going to do?" Bren asked throwing his arms up, his hand hit a switch and from some metal pillar like devices near the floating flying saucer, a wave of lightning shot out killing the 10 aliens who were just about to run up and kill them

"Uh Bren" Paulsen asked

"Yeah?" Bren replied, as he was as surprised as Paulsen

"I think we can beat em" Paulsen said smiling as more came out

"I think so too" Bren said hitting more switches, the lightning seemed to come out of the pylons and he was getting good at the timing

"Keep doing that, I will make sure none of them make it to us" Paulsen said as Bren continued to take out more of the aliens, Paulsen did his job and kept them at bay with his pistol. He was a really good shot that Bren took a mental note to get pointers.

It wasn't long before the aliens got the message to stay away, and the force field blocking the door dissipated, Bren got to work blowing up the generator.

"Hey Bren can I ask you something?" Paulsen asked, the generator exploded and Bren turned to him

"Sure, what do you need?" Bren asked

"Well I would be grateful if you didn't tell the guys about me….ahem crying" He said and Bren smiled

"Don't worry, I will carry that secret to my grave" Bren said as they went through the teleporter

Sally and the group smiled at Bren

"Alright Bren you did it, now all you have to do is put on the space suit and we can get out of here" Sally said and Bren walked to the corpse of the frozen spaceman

"Sorry sir" Bren said softly, he carefully got the corpse out and closes his eyes, at least he should respect the dead

He put it on and walked through the door

"Alright Sally I'm in" Bren said inside a room, the space suit fit him like a glove but it wasn't something he wasn't to be in, it was like being a small room

"You have to take away the pressure in the room, press the switch in front of you" Sally said from a speaker

"Right" Bren said pressing the switch, he could hear sirens, most likely warning anyone inside to get the fuck out

The door ahead of him opened and Bren walked through, he felt a strange feeling, like he was in water, but he wasn't. He shook the feeling off and made it outside

"Alright, just find the panels, slam them down, and head into the top portion of the ship, simple right" Bren told himself. Yeah simple, and defusing an atomic bomb was simple, and so was surviving a Deathclaw. No it wasn't simple

Bren walked along the metal surface of the ship, he had no idea what was keeping him on the ground but it didn't matter, he soon made it to the panels and he pushed them down into the systems. Soon a large light, similar to the one that took him appeared in the middle of the area.

"Bingo" Bren thought as he made his way to the light. He was teleported into a new room, similar to the first room.

"Alright, got to press the switch again" Bren thought as he pressed the switch. Once again he heard the siren. It annoyed him but he figured it was wise to have safety at least.

The door in front of him opened and he stepped out. He walked to the inactive teleporter and pressed the nearby switch, which activated the teleporter, in a few seconds the group (minus the missing Toshiro) came through

"Here are your clothes" Sally said handing him his clothes and shotgun and hunting rifle

"Right let me change" Bren said walking into the depressurizing/pressurizing room where he changed, the suit he decided to leave at the teleporter, he could get it later if he wanted to

"Alright what's next" Bren asked the group

"We continue onwards" Sally said and they continued down a hallway where they saw one of the most memorable sights. They saw a large room which had a floor that looked like it was made of glass

"So that's what the Earth looks like" Tony said looking down on it

"Never thought I would see it like this" Alek said

"Agreed" Elliot said

"Figured it to be bigger" Paulsen said rubbing his chin

"Yeah, it looked a lot bigger while we are on it, kinda makes you forget what is going on right now" Elliot said

"Sorry I will get the door" Sally said as she was about to run to the vents to rewire the door to open, but before she could do anything a large holographic alien head appeared in the middle of the floor

"That is not good" Bren said and everyone listened to it say something, its tone seemed very angry

"Uh Lenora?" Bren asked

"He said that you have caused too much damage, for this insolents, your planet is now forfeit, watch you pathetic worms as we show you the true might of our species" Lenora translated and at these words a large beam fired from the ship and it hit the earth, a blue part but it was scary

"Looks like they ain't bluffing" Tony said

"Well what are we waiting for, we have to disable the death ray" Bren said

"I agree, how can I rule turf if the turf is gone" Tony said and he cracked his neck to make a point.

"Come on we must hurry" Lenora said.


	14. Alien Ship Takeover, Mafia Style

Tony and Bren walked forward, they were ready to take on whatever came their way, and they had too, the fate of Earth may depend on them.

"Bren watch and learn how my gang became one of the deadliest ones in America" Tony said, his sawed off shotgun look threatening as they made it through hallways, this place must have been the weapons lab or something, as shelves of alien blasters and pistols could be seen all over the walls

Two aliens came out and shouted at the duo but Tony smiled as he blasted on of the alien's right in the chest sending the body flying right into a wall, it was dead before it even hit the wall. The other alien looked at his dead comrade and decided that it wouldn't be wise to face him, but Tony grinned

"Oh no, you ain't leaving alive" Tony said running to the alien and blasting him right in the head, Tony dropped the shells and reloaded the gun

"You see Bren, if you ever want to get far in life; you have to be stronger and more aggressive, like this. Course normally we break their knee caps then give them a week to get the money to us. If not then a bullet to the brain for them" Tony said kicking one of the alien's corpses

"I see, what is your story?" Bren asked, he already knew everyone else but Tony, he seemed the strangest, for one thing, except for Toshiro who he couldn't understand, and Sally who seemed to cope. Tony hasn't argued with the logic or strange things that had happened. He was calm, albeit a bit cruel to the aliens but it was odd given the circumstances

"Eh, had to go rough up a bar keep, he was behind on his "protection money" so I break his knee caps and I go out for a smoke and take a nap outside, next thing I know I am taken by a bright light. Eh, I think I was frozen, and then they unfroze me, recorded what I said then I was in the cell. Been there for bout a month or two, can't remember. You rescued me, so I helped you" Tony said, he then beat down an alien with a shock baton with his bat. The alien thought the shock baton would be enough; it was wrong, dead wrong.

"So anyway we go disable the death ray and kick their leader's ass right" Tony asked

"Yeah, but why are you so calm?" Bren asked Tony

"The way I look at it, if this is a dream, then I wake up nothing happens, but if I'm not dreaming and this is a real, hey at least I get to show these aliens what the gangs of Brooklyn is like" Tony said grinning Bren

"Yeah" Bren said as they made their way through the weapons lab, Bren was able to grab some plasma grenades that the aliens must have been examining and soon they made it to a new lab and Bren and Tony's eyes widened as they saw through the glass some strange creatures. They were flesh colored, and hairless. Their features were dull and mindless. These were abominations

"Damn, and I thought that brothel on 9th was full of freaky people" Tony said clutching his mouth like he was about to vomit

Bren looked around, the door out was being blocked but they had a generator to blow up

"Stay back" Bren said as he released the cooling devices, in a few short seconds the generator blew up and the door was open

"Uh Bren, might want to take a look in the room" Tony said pointing to the other room and Bren saw that the generator took out the doors holding the abominations, they screamed in a raspy voice and ran to the aliens, these must have been scientists as they were not armed, the abominations tore them apart, one was even crushed against the glass window, and Bren and Tony could see it suffer and painful death. After all of the aliens were dead the abominations walked further ahead screaming in the raspy voice, and on the war path.

"Damn, that was not good" Tony said

"They had it coming" Bren said

"Yeah, even the Mafia had standards." Tony said as they both walked through the halls, they could see the abominations tearing apart the aliens, they seemed to have either retained memories and wanted revenge or the aliens failed to disable the kill switch on them. Either way Tony and Bren were astounded by their ferocity, and soon all the aliens in their path were dead

"Saves us some time" Tony said, he regretted that as two of the abominations must have heard him and charged at them both

"Get down" Tony shouted as he fired two shots from his shotgun, it only wounded the first abomination but it wasn't enough to stop it

"Damn it" He said as one pinned him to the ground and began to hit him in the back

"Grahh" Was all Tony could muster, Bren on the other hand was fending off the abomination with his combat shotgun, he fired on the creature in the gut but it didn't stop it, in its rage it slammed the gun away and Bren was backing up in fear

"This is not good" Bren thought, then the back of his foot hit something, and he turned his head, it was the bat that Tony dropped

"Hey let's play ball" Bren said as he grabbed the bat and swung a home run swing right in the face of the abomination, an eye flew out from the impact while the body fell to the ground, it was dead. He then slammed the other one off Tony and he dusted himself off

"Thanks, a few more seconds and I would have been in a shit load of trouble" Tony said taking his bat back and slamming the skull of the abomination's face for good measure.

"Come on we need to take out the death ray" Tony said and they continued onwards. They soon made it to the controls where they quickly dispatched the aliens who were operating the death ray (or at least they assumed they were the technicians)

"Alright I think I can destroy the generators, cover me" Bren said, he had to destroy four generators and he had to focus

"On it" Tony said holding the shotgun; he was ready to kick some alien ass

Bren went to work destroying two of the generators and he was about to destroy another when they heard the sound of some aliens running to them

"Say hello to my little friend" Tony shouted as two shots of lead took down the offenders

"I should be in a movie that sounded like a good line" Tony said smiling as Bren finished taking down the last two generators.

"Right now we need to find the bridge" Bren said as they took down three more aliens, it wasn't tough to take them down, they didn't have any body armor or anything like that so it wasn't too hard to pump them full of lead as Tony would have said.

They continued through the hallways dodging laser fire and returning fire for double the price and they soon made it to the door to the bridge

"Tony ready?" Bren asked

"Course, lets show em how to take over Mafia style" Tony said as Bren opened the door, the alien captain got up from his seat and walked to Bren, he seemed annoyed about the way he spoke, he turned to the other aliens and said something, they raised their guns up at them but didn't fire

The captain seemed to ask something to Bren

"I don't know what you are saying, but we I leaving the ship, surrender or else" Bren said, the Captain pulled out his sidearm but Tony was much faster than him, he shot him right in the chest and then he shot the alien next to him and Bren fired on the other aliens with his shotgun, he then noticed Lenora and the others came in through the teleporter

"You took down the Captain" Lenora said as he picked up the side arm

"Guess that's yours, I wouldn't know the first thing to do with it" Bren said and Lenora nodded his head, but then they heard a large sound and they looked out of the window ahead of them, they saw another ship flying ahead of them

"Where did that come from?" Somah asked

"They think we are a threat, we have to stop them" Lenora said

"Hey this looks like the bridge on Captain Cosmos, Somah you stand over there, Bren will take the Captain's chair, Mr. Elliot will guard the teleporter, Tony helps him, and Paulsen can be the space chimp. Then I get to fire the Death Ray" Sally said giggling, Lenora sighed, this was one odd specimen, he remembered some of the aliens talking about how she wasn't scared of them, her attitude was never seen in these creatures

"I guess I will help guard" Alek said holding his pistol out, he wasn't gonna let any aliens get into the bridge on his watch

"I am no space chimp" Paulsen grumbled

"I will help you Sally" Lenora said as he went to the controls and set the other generators on the ship to transfer some energy to the Death Ray, it wasn't good enough for planetary destruction but it should be enough to face the ship

"You may fire when ready Captain" Sally said to Bren, and he sat down on the captain's chair and pressed the button, the laser fired on the Alien ship and they could see it shake. But then it fired back and the bridge shook like there was an earthquake

"Bren, I think we should transfer power to the shields" Somah said

"No we should use the power to make the death ray stronger" Paulsen said

"I will add power to the shields" Bren said but before he could press the switch the alien ship fired on them and the cabin grew dark

"Damn it they took all the power, find the generators to jump start us before we get blasted" Somah shouted and Bren got up and reset the generators, he fired on the alien ship but it was obvious that it didn't do much damage

They heard a knocking from outside of a door

"Hey hear that?" Sally asked

"Huh?" Bren asked as he listened, he then heard Japanese

"Toshiro" Bren said

Sally opened the door and she saw Toshiro standing among the bodies of many cut aliens, his sword was covered in blood, he bowed to Sally and stood among everyone else

"I think I know what to do" Bren said as he watched the scanner, he noticed the alien ship would transfer all power to the ray for more damage, but there was a slight pause. He knew what he had to do

"Wait for it…." Bren thought and then he saw the alien ship lose power to the shields and Bren quickly transferred the power to his ray and fired, the alien ship had a hole in the side and he smiled

"Game over" Bren said as the ship blew up, the battle for Earth was over, they won

"We did it, we did it" Sally said gleefully

Bren got up and saw Elliot and Alek over the bodies of some aliens that tried to get in via teleporter

"Bren, during the fight, I hit one switch, and it sent some sort of probe, we can now transfer you back to Earth" Sally said

"What about you?" Bren asked

"I decided to stay up here, tell you what, if you come back I will give you anything I find" Sally said and Bren hugged her and she hugged him back

"Be strong" Bren said to her and she nodded

"How about the rest of you?" Bren asked

"Eh, I'm going to head down, you can go first" Tony said, and Bren shook his hand

"Take care" Bren said

"You too" Tony said

"Somah?" Bren asked

"Same thing, I figure I see what I can do back down in the wasteland" Somah said

"I hope you do well" Bren said and they smiled

"I'm staying here, there is nothing left for me down there" Elliot said

"I agree, the War is over, and I think I am better suited here" Alek said

"Not me, I'm checking out the world, see what are the new wonders" Paulsen said

"You guys better take care" Bren said

They nodded

Toshiro said something which Bren couldn't understand

"Uh, you too" Bren said

Toshiro bowed his head and Bren decided to do the same out of politeness

"The teleporter is ready" Lenora said

"Lenora, thank you for all your help, take care of this ship" Bren said to him

"No, thank you. You taught me many things about your species and how much we were wrong" Lenora said and they shook hands, it was a sign of respect for the two

"Guys, until we meet again" Bren said as he stepped through the teleporter.

Bren felt solid ground and smell the fresh air, well fresh slightly radioactive air. He was back where the crashed ship was. However in its place was a white probe that had a ring of blue light

"Good to be back" Bren said looking around, it was about three, no one was around so he figured it was time to head back to the Super Duper Mart.

He walked, and after an hour he made it back, and he opened the double doors and everyone looked at him.

"You returned" Charon said

"Well I'll be a Super Mutant's Uncle" Jericho said

"Bren what happened?" Rick asked

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" Bren said.

It felt good to be home with his friends again….


	15. From Megaton to Rivet City

"….so then we took out the Captain and the other spaceship and I was able to get back" Bren had just got done explaining what the hell happened to him.

"Sounds like a jet dream I once had, only they had these weird tubes that went up my ass" Jericho said and everyone was silent

"What?" Jericho asked

"So basically you saved the world from an invasion" Rick said after some thought

"Pretty much, I'm as surprised as you are" Bren said rubbing the back of his head

"I think I can believe that story" Charon said

"What makes you say that?" Rick asked

"Simple, we have giant green freaks roaming around, I'm a long living Ghoul, and we have weapons that shoot lasers, I don't think aliens are out of the question" Charon explained and Bren chuckled as Rick sighed

"So anyway is Rivet City open yet?" Bren asked

"I don't know, we could always go back to Megaton, maybe get some info" Rick said

"Bout time, I was getting bored waiting for some action" Charon said

"Alright lets go" Bren said as they stepped out into Wasteland, Rick followed Bren and Charon as they made their way to the large metal town that was Megaton. It took them only about 10 minutes to make it into the town when they walked inside, what they saw surprised them. They saw a man in power armor, unlike the armor of the brotherhood this armor was black and demon like. It basically said, stay away from me or you get shot

"So have you seen the man from Vault 101?" The power armored man asked Lucas the town Sheriff

"Like I told you, I never seen him" Lucas said to the man and Rick pulled Bren and Charon to the side away from the armored man's view

"What's the big id-"Bren's mouth was covered by Rick and Charon remained silent as they saw the man walk out of town gate.

"Who was that?" Bren asked

"Enclave solider" Rick said as they moved down, Lucas greeted Bren with a smile

"Hey Bren how is it going?" Lucas asked as if nothing had happened

"Um fine, hey what was with that guy?" Bren asked

"Enclave solider was looking for you, told him I never seen you before so he walked off, I doubt he believed me though" Lucas said to Bren

"Really, why would they be looking for me?" Bren asked

"Who knows, all I know is that we should avoid them at all costs" Charon said and Lucas tipped his hat to the trio and went patrolling the town with his Chinese assault rifle

"Come on we should head to Moriarty's" Rick said and they walked into the bar where Gob greeted them

"Charon long time no see" Gob said to the mercenary ghoul

"Oh yeah I remember you, you were Greta's kid that's right" Charon said and Gob shook his hand

"You know him?" Rick asked

"He used to live in Underworld, but he left to find his fortune" Charon explained

"Yeah, so far it isn't going so well" Gob said grimly

"Well I hope it works out better for you" Bren said

"Thanks smooth skin" Gob said and he went to cleaning out a dirty glass with an equally dirty washcloth

"Well do my eyes deceive me, it is Bren from 101" The Irish voice of Moriarty rang out and Bren turned to him

"Hey, you have any info on Rivet City, like is it open?" Bren asked

"Straight to the point, and like I said information costs caps" Moriarty said and Bren answered with a combat shotgun at Moriarty's face, and strangely enough he chuckled

"Well, I see you know how to negotiate the wasteland way, so this one is on the house. Rivet city is open but I'm afraid something is blocking the path to it" Moriarty said

"What do you mean?" Bren asked

"A Deathclaw has been seen in the area" He said

"That all?" Charon asked , he didn't seem too concerned with it

"This is no ordinary Deathclaw, this one has been named Scar, for the distinct slashing scar on his right eye, he also has a broken claw on his left hand. So far it has killed 15 people who tried to kill it. It is pretty much a demon in its own rights" Moriarty explained

"Hmm, well the normal path is blocked, and then if we try to swing around the side we would be going through mutant territory" Rick said to himself

"Well I guess it is up to Bren, Deathclaw or mutant" Charon said

Bren thought for a moment

"We will take the normal path, and we will kill the Deathclaw" Bren said, he clutched his combat shotgun and looked brave

Rick smiled from beneath his helmet, looks like it was do or die at this point

"We better get some supplies, it will be a day's hike" Rick said and they walked out of the bar and went into Moira's shop

"Oh hey guys, did you know that a human can survive without a stomach or spleen, pretty cool right?" Moira said greeting them, her guard sighed, this woman was so ditzy and weird he wondered if it was worth the 20 caps a day he was earning

"We need some supplies" Rick said

"How much for these?" Bren asked dumping some strange crystals onto the table, he picked them up in the spaceship and he thought they may be worth something

"Shit…." The guard said looking at them

"Wow, I have never seen something so pretty, how about 15 caps for each of them" Moira suggested

"25" Bren said and Moira thought for a moment

"I don't know, I know how about a 20 caps and a kiss" Moira suggested and Rick, Charon, and the guard laughed, while Bren blushed

"Ummm sure I guess" Bren said as he gained 380 caps and then a peck on the cheek from Moira

"Uhh….now I need some ammo for my shotgun and some food" Bren said and after about 5 minutes of bartering Bren had food, water, and sold his hunting rifle for more .44 magnum ammo for his magnum that he gained when he first left the vault for his side arm.

They left the store and the guard turned to Moira

"Was that really called for?" He said to her and Moira giggled

"He was pretty cute and did you see him blush, besides I didn't have the caps to pay 25 for each" Moira explained

"Sometimes I wonder what goes through your mind" the guard said

"Hey, listen it says here that some people can move their hair at will, I wonder what that is like" Moira said looking from her book

The guard just sighed

Outside of Megaton Rick was leading the party, the plan was to hike until sundown and rest, then continue at dawn

"Come on times a wasting" Rick said as they hiked across the wasteland. They kept an eye out for any opposition, being raider, to Scar. So far nothing

"It's too quiet" Charon said to Bren

"I like it" Bren said looking around the Wasteland, for a war torn hell hole it seemed like a nice place

"Not me, the silence means something is wrong" Charon said and Bren remembered when they faced Skyler, that man was able to take down a building full of super mutants on his own. Good thing he was dead

"Rick what is your opinion on this?" Bren asked and Rick kept his eyes ahead

"It does make me a little uncomfortable" Rick said to Bren as they continued hiking.

They been hiking for about an hour and they hadn't seen anything, that is until they heard a shout. It was a loud shout and they saw a Super Mutant holding a super sledge, it was facing off against a Deathclaw

"Damn you" The mutant shouted as it was decapitated by a right swipe. The Deathclaw roared in victory and it turned to Bren and his group. Its left eye had a scar and was shut tight and they could see its right hand was missing the index and middle claw on its hand. This was Scar and it saw them.

"Get down!" Rick shouted as he threw a frag grenade at the Deathclaw, but alas it ran to him and slammed him right into the ground

"Not today you won't" Rick said holding both its arms from his face. He looking straight at the Deathclaw's face and he felt as though the Deathclaw was looking into his helmet, and he felt the fear coming out of Rick's helmet

Bren shot the Deathclaw into the side with his magnum and it turned to Bren and snarled. It got off from Rick and began to walk to Bren. Bren could only back up. Bren was afraid, he knew he was about to die.

"BREN!" Rick shouted and Bren turned and ran, the Deathclaw followed

"Charon come on" Rick said as they followed them into the jungle of buildings. Bren had turned a corner and ran into a nearby house. He hid behind an overturned couch and could hear the Deathclaw breathing. Looking.

"Calm down Bren, just ran out the back door, right when his back is turned" Bren thought, and just as the Deathclaw turned its head Bren ran out. Problem was that the Deathclaw saw him run out and it ran out the front. It had a plan to take down Bren

Bren had run out of the building and turned a corner only to be met face to face with Scar. It seemed pleased to have out smart his pray and Bren fired twice from his shotgun only to have it slammed to the side from Scar. It snarled at Bren as he was backed into a wall.

"No….I'm going to die….I'm going to die" Was what ran though Bren's head and the Deathclaw raised his right hand ready to killed Bren when Bren quickly pulled out his magnum and fired right into Scar's left eye. It roared in a blind rage and swung at Bren, only to miss right above Bren's head. It made a large scratch into the bricks and Bren side stepped.

"That was too close" Bren thought. He could see the Deathclaw sniffing the air. It was still looking for Bren and it could tell that Bren was scared. It could smell the fear so to speak.

Bren fired a shot at the Deathclaw's right leg and it moaned in pain as it began to kneel, and Bren then shot the other

"Game over" Bren said aiming the pistol at the Deathclaw's head, it roared one more time, then it was silenced by two shots. Bren had won.

"My god, did I just do that?" Bren thought as Rick and Charon came into the back alley

"Bren you're alright" Rick said

"Wow, now I'm impressed" Rick said looking at the damage

"Bren, that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen" Rick said to Bren and Bren looked down at the ground sadly

"But I'm glad you are safe. Guess you got something to show your dad when you meet him" Rick added and with that he pulled out a combat knife and cut the right hand off, then he handed it to Bren after tying the end off with some surgical tube so no blood would flow out.

"Thanks Rick" Bren said putting the claw in his backpack

"I think we should make camp here" Rick said to Bren and they nodded as they went into the house and set up the food and shelter. Bren slept well that night.

In the morning they got back up and kept hiking to Rivet City, it would be about an hour before they make it to it

"So Rick, ever been to Rivet City?" Bren asked

"A few times when I was in the Brotherhood" Rick said to Bren

"Really, what is it like?" Bren asked

"It is a boat, you see they live on an old battle ship, great protection from the Wasteland. Sometimes the brotherhood would work with them, you know trading and such. Course now they stopped doing it" Rick explained

"Why?" Bren asked

"Hard to explain" Rick said to Bren as they reached the hill and Bren saw it. 10 tons of steel, formed into a boat was what he saw. It was a sight to behold.

"Bren, welcome to Rivet city" Rick said to him and Bren smiled. Finally he would find his dad.


	16. Dad and Project Purity

Bren and his group just survived the attack of the Deathclaw and were marveling at the sight of Rivet City, the large boat now converted into a city.

"Well your father awaits" Rick said as they walked up the stairs, they soon made it to the intercom where Rick pressed the button

"Hello Welcome to Rivet City, state your business" The voice said

"Three travelers here to meet someone" Rick said

"Alright hold on" The voice said and they heard the sound of metal scraping and turning as the large metal bridge made a 90 degree turn to them, allowing them passage into the city

They walked across and a man in a security uniform held up a plasma rifle into their face

"A few ground rules, one no causing trouble, second, no ghouls, so scram" the man said to Charon who glared back, he had his arm reaching to his back, ready to take the gun but Bren held his hand up

"He is a mercenary for me, I can promise he won't cause any trouble" Bren said to the man and he thought for a moment

"Alright, but drop his weapons here, he can get them back when you leave" He said, "Oh and the name is Harkins" He added

Bren looked at Charon who grumbled, he pulled off his shotgun then pulled out some frag grenades, two combat knives, and a small .32 pistol from his left boot

"Lose any of my stuff and you're fed to the deathclaws" Charon said to Harkins who put the items into a box. The group walked into the ship, what they saw was a market place with people talking and arguing, and all sorts of stuff

"Wow" Bren said marveling at the sight

"Who would have thought" Charon said, Underworld was impressive but this was even better in terms of protection.

They talked to a guard about how to find Dr. Li and they got directions into the science lab

After about 10 minutes of walking they made it to the science lab

"See your dad?" Rick asked Bren as he looked around the lab, he saw people in medical and science suits but none of them looked like Dad

"Maybe this Li knows" Charon said to Bren and Bren agreed with that statement and he looked at the people hard a work

"Umm Sir, where is Dr. Li?" Bren asked a man who was looking at some vegetables that they were growing

"Talk to the one at the terminal" He said without looking up from his notes.

"Umm ok" Bren said turning to the black haired woman who was hard at work typing on a terminal, she seemed to block things out

"Umm are you Madison Li?" Bren asked and the woman didn't turn her head and continued typing

"Go away, I'm busy" She said

"Look I was told you know where my father is, James" Bren said and the woman stopped typing and turned around

"Bren?" She asked

"Yes, how did you know my name?" Bren asked

"Bren, it's been so long of course you don't remember" She said

"Hey, you didn't answer his question, are you Madison Li?" Charon asked

"I am, and where are my manners, you see Bren, I knew you because I helped deliver you" She said and Bren was surprised

"But…"

"Bren, you were never born in the vault, you are not from 101, you never were" Li said to Bren and he racked his brain for memories, but they were in the vault

"But that can't be" Bren said, people he had met told him that he wasn't a Vault resident, but perhaps they were right. Maybe he wasn't a vault dweller, but it was his home for a long time

"I know it is hard for you to understand, but it is true. Bren your father….." Li stopped talking and looked down

"Is he alright?" Bren asked

"I don't know, I told him not to go back to the Memorial" Li said to Bren

"What are you talking about?" Bren asked

"Project Purity" Rick said and Charon, Li, and Bren turned to him

"Yes, you are correct" Li said

"What's project Purity?" Bren asked

"Project Purity was your mother and father's dream" Li explained, "It was a dream that would save the wasteland, it would create clean and pure water for everyone, imagine water that wasn't irradiated or dirty, clean water that was pure. It would be heaven to behold" Li said to him and Bren smiled

"My dad wanted that?" Bren asked

"Yes, we all did, I used to work with him on the project, but we couldn't get it to work, then he had you….your mother…." Li wouldn't finish and Bren understood. Dad told him when he was 9 where mom went.

"I know, please tell me where did he go?" Bren asked

"Bren….your father came here about a week and a half ago, he said he knew the answer to the problem we had. He left after I refused to go with him. I haven't seen him after that. I'm sorry" Li said and Bren thought for a moment

"Where is the memorial?" Bren asked

"Why?" Li asked him

"Think about it, if he knew the answer to the problem, wouldn't he have gone back to fix it, maybe he left some notes" Bren explained and Li smiled

"You really are James and Catherine's son. I suppose you are right, here let me mark the spot on your pip boy" Li said and with that she imputed the code on it

"Come on guys" Bren said and they nodded and left with him

"James….you raised a good boy" Li thought and she went back to typing on the terminal

Outside of Rivet City Charon got his weapons back and Bren looked into the distance, he could see the memorial there

"Come on guys" Bren said but then Rick grabbed his shoulders

"Hold on Bren, wait a moment" Rick said and Bren turned and glared at him

"We wasted enough time, we have to find out where he is" Bren said and he walked off

"James…." Rick thought and Charon followed with him behind him

They walked for 15 minutes and made it inside the memorial where Bren looked around the dimly lit hallways

"Come on guys" Bren said and he walked to the end of the hallway only to almost get shot by a turret

"Son of a bitch" Bren said and he ran behind the corner and looked around, he saw a turret, but he also saw a terminal, if he was quiet enough he would be able to hack it

"Cover me" Bren said and he got to work hacking. After a few tries he hacked into the system and even got the cameras. The place was over run with super mutants so he figured altering a few codes was in order.

"Say your prayers" Bren thought as he pressed the final key, the turret sprang into life and fired upon the two mutants who were sleeping, they died quickly. A Third one ran into the area and was fired on and torn to bits.

"Come on guys, I set it so the turret won't get us" Bren said as they walked into the area. They took a look around and went into the basement of the memorial. Bren figured the notes would be in there. The only thing they found was a very annoyed super mutant with a sledge hammer

"You woke me up!" It shouted, Bren answered with a shotgun blast right in its face.

"Why do they over run this place?" Bren asked Rick

"We are in their territory" Rick explained and Bren sighed as he checked some rooms. He then found some holo tapes in one room, right next to some empty bottles of whisky and vodka. So being curious he put one of them in. The voice that rang out was his dads

"_So here I am, back where it all began. Project Purity. God, we wanted to change the world. We really thought the waters of life could be a reality. And that's why this is a momentous occasion. Because even after nineteen years, I still believe it. Project purity can and will be operational. This is just the beginning."_

He then put in the 2nd one

"_This is day 2 of my attempt to resurrect this project. I've got one of the portable fusion generators up and running, but its just enough to power the emergency lighting and a couple of other systems. It will serve for now, but I need help powering up the mainframe. Time to visit Madison in Rivet City."_

"Interesting" Bren said as he then inserted the 3rd one

"_I spoke with Doctor Li, Madison, at Rivet City. It went about as well as I expected. That is to say she thinks I'm completely mad. How can I blame her? She's got her own life, her own team, and is making real tangible scientific progress. Here I come again, the very paragon of failure and false promises. But the reality is, I need Madison and whatever scientific team she may have assembled. I can't do this myself. Project Purity is bigger than me, it always was. And without Catherine... God, I can't let this die. Not again, not like this."_

"That must be why he left" Bren said to the others "He needed help fixing the project"

He then put in the last tape, but instead of his father's voice it was a woman's, a young one by the sound of it

"_That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the second filtration system. We're going to recalibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time! ...So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to.. James! [laughing] Stop, I need to finish these notes! [laughing] ...We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners, that should... Owww! James! [laughing] Now? We really shouldn't! [laughing]"_

"Mom…." Bren was silent but he turned to his friends

"We need to check out more of the place" Bren said and they walked out of the basement, this time they went into the Rotunda and Bren saw it. It was a machine that was beautiful in its own right. Bren could see that great work and sacrifice went into its construction.

"Wow" was all Bren could say

"Damn, that is a lot of metal" Charon said

Bren walked inside and saw a super mutant looking at the machine

"Hey!" Bren shouted and the mutant turned to Bren and before he could say something Bren had already fired his combat shotgun right into his face

"Stay away from my dads dream" Bren said to the corpse and he looked around. He saw three more tapes

"I think these may be the notes" Bren said and he inserted on

"_Even in Vault 101, my work on Project Purity never really stopped. Soon after we arrived, my nightly routine included sneaking into the restricted areas. Searching for, I don't know, whatever I could find. It was a Vault-Tec facility after all. The place was built with some of the most advanced technology this country had ever developed. Those excursions never turned up anything particularly useful. So one night, after half a bottle of scotch, I broke into the Overseer's office. It was easy enough to hack his console, gain access to the restricted files. Most of it was garbage: propaganda, spy reports, just plain rambling bullshit, really. But there was one thing, one name that stood out amongst all the others... Dr. Stanislaus Braun. I knew of Braun's work, of course. He was a celebrity in his day. Vault-Tec's sorcerer-scientist, leaving his peers in awe of his technological wizardry. But it was in Vault 101 that night in the Overseer's office, that I first learned of Braun's involvement in Vault-Tec's social preservation program, and his work on something called GECK, Garden of Eden Creation Kit."_

"G.E.C.K.?" Bren asked himself

"Never heard of it" Charon said

"Me neither" Rick said and Bren insert the 2nd one

"_To be honest, the GECK sounded like pure fantasy, even for someone of Braun's capabilities. It was nothing short of a miracle. A terra-forming module, capable of producing life from complete lifelessness. But not only was this thing a reality, it was actually distributed to several vaults to be used after an atomic war. Vault 101 was, sadly, not on that list. I did some digging and discovered Braun's name on the reservation list for a vault 112. I'm no slouch, but this man, he could have easily succeeded where I failed. Does his collected knowledge remain within the halls of vault 112? Journals, holotapes, computer records, maybe even experiments? If I could gain access to just a fraction of Braun's genius, Project Purity would become a reality."_

"Vault 112, that must be where my dad is headed" Bren said

"But where is that?" Rick asked and Bren decided to gamble on the last tape. If this didn't tell him the location, he didn't know what he would do

"_I'm off to Vault 112 to search for anything of Braun's that might help me get this purifier up and running. All I know is that it's West of some place called "Evergreen Mills," and it's well hidden in some sort of garage. But I'll find it, I have to. It's so close, but that's the story of Project Purity, isn't it? An eternity of "almost there's". Let's see if Braun has the missing puzzle piece."_

"Evergreen Mills?" Charon asked

"Heard of it?" Rick asked

"I have, it is a raider hide out, biggest one on the West Coast as far as I can tell. I know where it is" Charon said and Bren smiled

"Dad you can run but you can't hide. I will find you" Bren thought

"Well lets go" Bren said, he was ready to find his dad and help him with this project. It would have been what his mother would have wanted.


	17. The Story of a Former Brother of Steel

An: Thank you readers, but now I must rectify a mistake. I should have said East Coast, not West Coast. My bad, I got to focus more when I write. But I promise I won't be making mistakes like that in the future LOL.

It has been two days since they left Rivet City, Bren and his friends had been walking for hours, with rest stops along the way. They would be at the Garage that the tape had said in about an hour hike. Slight problem with that…

So far it was raining so they stopped for camp at an abandoned house. It was deserted and it had some food. Charon was checking the outside area for any landmarks or any enemies in case they have to leave. So Bren and Rick stayed inside.

Bren was lying on the couch, listening to the tapes his father left back at the memorial.

"_We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners, that should... Owww! James! [laughing] Now? We really shouldn't! [laughing]"_

Bren had gotten done listening to the tape that was the only sound of his mother's voice for the hundredth time. He was deep in thought as he listened to her voice.

"Mother…." Bren said to himself and Rick looked at him.

"Bren…" Rick thought and he cleared his throat alerting Bren

"Oh hey Rick, what do you need?" Bren asked Rick who had removed his helmet

"Bren, perhaps its time we talked, I told you I would have told you my story, and I think it is time now" Rick said and Bren got up. Rick sat down with a vodka that was in the fridge of the house they were in.

"As you are aware, I was apart of the Brotherhood of Steel. I was shipped in about 30 years ago, I may not look it, but I'm 46" Rick said chuckling a bit

"You were 16 when you came?" Bren asked and Rick nodded his head

"Right, I was just a Squire at the time. A fresh learner who was asked to join in the help. Over the year and a half of travel to the Capital Wasteland I grew in rank. I was known for my defensive tactics, got the name Iron Wall" Rick explained and Bren smiled

"Got this scar" He said pointing to his face where the large gashing scar was, "From a mutant who had found a ripper, only grazed my face and look what it did, take it from me, you do not try to beat someone in the face with a super sledge if they are using that" Rick said and Bren laughed, then Rick did. He took a swig of the vodka

"Anyway, there is another reason why I wanted to tell you this" Rick took a deep breath

"You see, I knew your father" Rick said and Bren was silent

"I know what you are thinking, Rick why didn't you tell me from the beginning….well…." Rick couldn't finish

"Something happen?" Bren asked

"It wasn't that, I hadn't met him in years, I didn't know what to think. I heard rumors of sighting from him in the wasteland but I didn't think they were true, then I met you while I was exploring the area and that's when I realized they were true" Rick explained and Bren smiled

"There is more to my story then helping your dad at project purity…you see….I have a son or at least I had one ….." Rick looked at the ground

"What happened" Bren asked

"His name was Leo, he was my son not by birth but my son the same, his mother was a good woman but she died from a rare illness, we had no cure, his real father had left them, and he was 12 by the time I married her. But when ever we were together we would smile even though his was really my son, he was still my child. Oh Mimi…." Rick seemed shaken but he continued talking about his past, "Leo was a good son, smart, loyal, and as strong as a mutant. Maybe even more but that day….we had a mission. A Mission to clear out the memorial for your father and his research team"

"You helped my father?" Bren asked

"More then that, we were friends" Rick said

{Flash Back, 23 years ago}

The Citadel

"…and so we need to clear out the memorial to make the way for the computer station and other equipment for the research teams." A man who was about 19 was explaining the plan to a group of Brotherhood soldiers. In front of the group was Rick was standing next to his son. His hair was a dirty brown, shaved and he looked ready to go. He was only 16 so he had only recon armor and a laser pistol. He and three other people were ready to follow Rick on this mission

"Any questions?" The man asked, his hair was tied back in a pony tail and he had a smile on his face. This was in fact James, age 19.

"One, where will you be in all this?" One of the soldiers asked

"We will be preparing here in the Citadel so by the time you are done taking care of the infestation we will be ready to start work on the purifier. Project Purity will work thanks to all of your efforts" James explained

"Dismissed Soldiers, be ready at the gate at 1300 hours" Rick said and they saluted and left, leaving Rick and James alone in the room

"Alright James, looks like that dream of yours is gonna come true" Rick said to him, James had just dropped some documents in mistake and he panic

"Oh damn it, not today" James muttered as he picked them up and Rick sighed a bit and waited for James to collect himself

"Rick, I hope your squad is ready for this, I may have never faced a super mutant before but I know they are terrible by the stories I heard about them" James said with concern in his voice for his friend

"James, the brotherhood has been at this for years, from New Arroyo to Reno to here in the Capital Wasteland we destroy super mutants" Rick said reassuring the young James

"It would still be a terrible thing to lose a friend like you" James said and Rick smiled

"Gonna take more then a couple of mutants to take me down, I promise you that" Rick said and they smiled at each other

"I better go now, those mutants won't shoot themselves….although there was that one time in Salem…." Rick said walking off to the gates. He was armed with a laser rifle, he was good with it and he had 37 confirmed super mutant kills. He was a deadly sight to behold with his power armor and pride of the Brotherhood behind him.

"Men, it is time to move out" Rick said to his squad, hand picked by Elder Lyon himself. Currently he was over seeing the training of his daughter Sarah. Tough little girl according to Rick but that was beside the point.

"Sir yes sir" The squad said to their commander, Rick was one of the finest from the Brotherhood in California, and he had experience with the mutants. He had the battle scars to prove it.

"Son lets go kick some mutant ass" Rick said to the young Leo, he nodded and followed his Father, Rick had convinced Lyon to follow him along for his final test, if he passed he would be allowed to go into higher ranks. He had the talent for it

They hiked for an hour and soon came across the large memorial, they were ready to take down the mutants that were down there

"Men, today is our finest hour, by eradicating the mutant threat we will pave the path for a greater future in the Capital Wasteland. Our brothers in California will respect us and we shall be written into the pages of history" Rick said to his soldiers they smiled, this was a good man to follow

"For the Steel!" Rick shouted and he cocked his laser rifle and charged

"For the Steel!" Shouts came from the other four they were ready for battle as they charged towards the memorial. The mutants saw the five metal soldiers as it were and opened fired on them with their hunting and assault rifles, but the forged steel and will of the soldiers repelled the lead bullets and they opened fired on them with the laser arsenal that they had. The mutants stood no chance.

"Come on, we need to get inside" Rick said to them and they went through the side door where they were greeted by two more mutants who were quickly taken care of.

"Henry, you and Ted will clean up outside, the rest of us will clear the inside" Rick explained and the two soldiers left for outside leaving the last three in the memorial with an ungodly amount of mutants to face. Those mutants needs better odds.

"Come on" Rick said and they went inside. They saw three mutants milling around and Rick smiled

"Leo, roll a frag down in between those three" He said to his son and Leo looked and understood what the plan was. He removed a frag grenade from his pouch and rolled it down the room, he saw it explode right in between the trio of mutants and they died in the explosion. Limbs were stuck to the wall but they swallowed their stomachs and continued onwards.

"Come on, Leo you and me will check the Rotunda, Ryan take care of this will you?" Rick asked the last Brotherhood member who nodded and looked around the basement

Rick and Leo went into the Rotunda and they saw to their horror a mutant Overlord. This mutant was close to becoming a behemoth, and it was angry. Wouldn't you be if five metal men came and killed your green friends? It roared and charged at them with its super sledge and it knocked Rick into a wall. The armor was able to cushion the blow but it felt like he got hit by a charging Brahmin.

"Leo Run!" Rick shouted but he felt his chest get stepped on by the large mutant. It was trying it crush him and the armor at the same time but then it felt a laser blast on its neck. Unlike the other mutants, this one's skin was tough. It was like a strong leather.

"Puny man stay here, I take care of mine-or pain" The overlord said to Rick and he grinned as he did a homerun swing right on the lightly armored Leo

"LEO!!!" Rick shouted as he saw his son fly into a wall and land in a crumpled heap. HE could see a small pool of blood form around his son.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Rick shouted and he pulled from his side a combat knife. He ran onto the mutants back and slammed the knife into its neck

"Glah, get it out…I….no….feel…..good….ohhhh" The mutant fell to the ground looked around, it was still alive, but not for long. Rick took the super sledge and the mutant saw in horror the anger of the man as he felt the 50 PSI of power right on it's face. It looked like someone threw a cherry pie right into the mutants face. Rick dropped the hammer and ran to his son. He turned him over and could see Leo still breathing, barely

"Leo speak to me" Rick pleaded

"Dad….did you see me take him on?" Leo asked and Rick nodded his head

"You did good, I'm proud of you, mother would too" Rick said to him, he had tears in his eyes and Leo smiled

"Dad, am I gonna make it?" Leo asked

Rick looked at his son, the super sledge did a direct hit, even with the armor, it wouldn't have saved him. He had at least internal bleeding, and even if they could get him to a medic, it would be too late.

"Yes son, I'm going to help you, please hold still" Rick said and he took out his side arm, a .32 caliber pistol, he took aim, and fired right on the side of Leo's head. It was all Rick could do at this point.

His son's suffering ended, but Ricks remained

"I'm sorry son" Rick said to the corpse and he closed Leo's eyes. He ran, ran out of the memorial, and ran out of the brotherhood. He was no outcast. He was no Brotherhood member... no he was an exile. A self punishment for his mistake.

{Flash back End}

Rick had tears in his eyes as he finished the tale

"Rick, I'm sorry" Bren said

"It wasn't your fault…." Rick said and he pulled out some dog tags

"These were Leo's, I keep them as a constant reminder of what happened that day" Rick said to Bren and he nodded

Charon walked in through the door

"I found the garage we were looking for" Charon said and Rick donned his helmet and Bren got his shotgun on his back and magnum on his side.

"Lets go" Bren said

It wasn't long before they made it to the garage. It was small. So small, Bren doubted whether it was the right one. How could a vault be in this garage.

"Sure this is the right place Charon?" Bren asked

"As sure as the my shotgun could kill a radroach, this is the only garage for miles" Charon said and Bren figured it was worth taking a look.

Bren opened the door but was met with a mole rat jumping for his face

"Got it" Charon said quick drawing his shotgun and taking it out in midflight. A second sooner and Bren may have needed some stitches for molerat bites.

"Vermin" Charon muttered as they looked around the garage. They dealt with three more molerats and soon were checking the place out

"I will say this about the Vault, it is well hidden" Rick said as he checked the safe. It seemed to have been opened recently, maybe by some kind of traveler or something. Either way it was empty save for an empty whisky bottle.

"I agree" Bren said looking along the wall. He could see posters of Vault boy doing work on a Cog Shaped, steel door, with the words "Help your Fellow Man, prepare the Vaults" written in big bold letters on it

"Interesting" Bren said and he noticed a switch right next to it.

"This looked promising" Bren thought and he pressed it. The next thing he knew the floor next to him opened up and they saw a stair case leading into a hidden basement

"Well I be a Yao Guai's Uncle" Charon said looking at the stair case

"Well let's go" Bren said and they walked down the stairs. They realized that this vault wasn't built into a mountain, no it was built underground. That shown something which was that Vault Tec really was determined.

They soon came to the signature Cog shaped door, on the door were the numbers 112 right in the middle.

"Let's do this" Bren said pressing the switch. The door opened with a hiss and rolled to the side but then they hear a female robotic voice speak out.

"Hello, you are 202.3 years late, please change into your issued Vault Uniforms, if you do not have one, one can be provided" The voice said.

AN: Let me just say, I cried making Rick's story….honestly I cried. See you next chapter.


	18. The trials of Tranquility Lane

Bren, Charon, and Rick looked at the clean vault. It looked well tended and dust free, which really surprised Bren. But what really surprised them was the robot with a brain in a jar for a head, also known as a Robobrain was talking to them.

"Hello, you are 202.3 years late, please change into your issued Vault Uniforms, if you do not have one, one can be provided" The Robobrain repeated to Bren

"Uh, sure I guess, I don't have a suit" Bren said and the Robobrain opened her (it was a female voice) front panel and pulled from the confines of her robotic body a vault Uniform, it was fresh, clean, and it looked conformable. On the back was the number 112, similar to Bren's 101 outfit he was wearing.

"Please get changed into the issued uniform and find a vacant lounger. Thank you for choosing Vault Tec for all your protection needs" The Robobrain said to Bren and Bren looked at the uniform. It was his size so he got into the back room nearby and changed into it. It fitted like a dream to him, or a nightmare in the case of what happened in Vault 101.

"Well lets go find dad" Bren said to his friends as they walked down into the lower levels, what Bren saw astounded him, he saw from the balcony what looked like pods, all in a circle surrounding a large computer.

"By the city of Necropolis" Charon said as he saw the technology

"Now this is impressive" Rick said and Bren ran down the stairs and looked into the pods and he could see residents asleep in the pods.

"The residents are in here" Bren said to them and they looked around the pods. Bren let out a gasp as he saw his father in one of the pods.

"Guys its dad" Bren said and he began to bang on the glass

"Dad wake up it's me, Bren, please wake up" Bren pleaded to his father, but no matter how hard he tried he could not wake up his father.

"It's no use Bren" Rick said to him and Bren turned to him in anger

"No use? What do you mean?" Bren asked angrily

"I'm checking the computer, it would seem that they are in a comatose state right now" Rick explained

"You mean that they are passed out?" Bren asked

"Sorta, I don't get all the details but these devices seem to project their minds into the computer. That must be how they escaped the fallout" Rick said and Bren looked at his father

"We got to get him out of there" Bren said and he tried to open the pod but it wouldn't open

"I wouldn't do that" Rick said

"What else should I do?" Bren asked him

"Calm down and think. Your dad is inside this computer; one of us should go inside and find him. The other two would stay here and monitor" Rick explained

"Then I will go" Bren said

"Alright, I think there is an open pod two pods down from your dad" Rick said and Bren opened the pod and rested his head on the cushion

"Alright guys, I see you later" Bren said as the pod closed, inside Bren saw a TV screen turn in front of him and he saw a black and white picture of a pleasant looking neighborhood

"Now isn't this nice" Bren thought but then he could have sworn he saw the face of a little girl flash across the screen. He shook off the feeling when a bright light engulfed the confines of the pod and he felt light headed.

"Hey champ wake up" A male voice said to him, Bren's eyes opened up and he saw a middle aged man in a prewar relaxing ware looking at him

"Champ you fell asleep, you must be new to the neighborhood" The man said and Bren nodded, he didn't know what to say

"Hey why don't you find Betty, she has been looking for someone to play with, see you around sport" The man said walking off, humming Mr. Sandman

"Weird" Bren said but then he froze his voice….his voice it sounded….well more Soprano for starters. He checked his left arm for his pip boy to see….a watch, a Vault Tec Issued Watch

"What is going on?" Bren thought, his voice was adult in his head but outside, he was a kid. He felt around his body, he was a kid alright, his hair was short, he had an old baseball cap. Shirt, Jeans, and little Vault Boy themed Sneakers, he even gambled that he had Vault Boy underwear, but Virtual world or not, he would not strip naked just to check.

"So I'm a kid, now I am really confused" Bren thought as he looked around, it was the neighborhood that he saw coming in, it seemed peaceful, he could see a little kid selling lemonade (25 cents a cup) right on the curb. He could see in the middle of the neighborhood on an island a small park where a little girl who he assumed was Betty was watering some of the plants.

He walked over to the girl who smiled at Bren

"Oh Hey you must be the new boy, about time too, I was so bored waiting for a new friend" The girl said, her pink dress, and blond hair hanging down made her look pretty cute.

"Right, my name is Bren, you must be Betty" Bren said to her and she smiled at Bren

"I know, hey want to play a game?" Betty asked and Bren was about to ask how she knew his name when she continued

"The game is simple, make Timmy cry" Betty said

"Why would I do that?" Bren asked

"I will answer one question, perhaps you would like to know where your father is" Betty suggested to Bren and Bren backed up

"Who are you?" Bren asked

"In due time, but for now, make Timmy cry" Betty said and Bren shook his head and walked off. He decided to walk into Timmy's house, or at least what he thought was Timmy's house. He assumed that the house that Timmy was selling lemonade in front of was Timmy's.

"Nice place" Bren thought as he saw the prewar house. It was warm, unlike the cold steel of Vault 101, but he shook the feeling and got to work looking around for something to use against Timmy.

"Hey what's this?" Bren thought looking at a pamphlet

"Hmm, Sergeant Hatred's Military School for Demon Children, a Six week camp in Hell to straighten up any bad egg of a child" Bren read of the pamphlet, were his parents really gonna send him to this? Either way it is gonna work.

Bren walked out and stopped in front of the Lemonade stand

"Oh hey, would you like some fresh Lemonade" Timmy asked Bren

"Sorry to tell you this, but your parents are sending you to military School" Bren said to Timmy and he was shocked

"No, that can't be right" Timmy said to Bren and Bren shook his head and handed Timmy the pamphlet

"Sorry found this in your house, sorry but its true" Bren said, he felt bad inside but he needed to find his dad

"No….no this can't be true" Timmy said but he stared at the pamphlet.

"Noooo" He shouted and ran off, he was crying rivers of tears and Bren sighed. This didn't settle well in Bren's stomach but he kept it down and was about to walk back to Betty when a dog walked to Bren

"Oh hey Boy, aren't you cute" Bren said to the dog. The Dog barked at Bren and stared at Bren

"Sorry I can't play boy" Bren said but the dog seemed to plead with Bren to stay but Bren walked off to Betty, the dog whined

"Wow, now I'm impressed, incase you were wondering, his parents just got that in the mail, they were never going to send him away" Betty explained

"I did your little game now talk, who are you?" Bren asked and Betty's voice changed, it was German and adult like. This was no little girl. This was a man.

"So forceful, just like your father. My name is Dr. Stanislaus Braun, Directory to the Societal Preservation Program" The male German voiced Girl said to Bren

"Braun…or should I call you Betty?" Bren asked

"Betty when I'm like this" The little girl's voice range out

"Braun like this" The German voice said

"Right" Bren said and Braun continued talking

"I know who you are, the DNA scanner doesn't lie to me" Braun said to Bren

"And my name?" Bren asked

"Your father talks in his sleep, moans "Bren my son" or stuff like that in what I think is his nightmares" Braun explained and Bren glared at him

"Oh come now, show respect for your elders, I'm over 200 years old in this simulation and I will remain alive." Braun said to the angry Bren. All Bren could do is to sigh in defeat

"Where is my father" Bren asked

"Sorry, I already answered a question, even another for free, it is time for another game" Betty said to Bren

"What now?" Bren asked and Betty Grinned

"Mrs. And Mr. Rockbell haven't been doing so well in their marriage, do me a favor and break them up" Betty said and Bren groaned as he walked off, this guy/girl was disturbed but he needed to find his Dad.

Bren checked the houses and he found the Rockbell's house. Before he went in his heard the bark of the same dog that met him a little earlier

"Oh hey boy, listen I can't play now, I need to find my dad" Bren said to the dog and the Dog got on top of Bren

"Look I can't play now" Bren said shoving the dog off and the Dog whined and walked off

"What is with that dog?" Bren thought as he walked inside. Inside he saw the stereotypical 1960 woman that was Mrs. Rockbell

"Oh hey champ, would you like some fresh chocolate chip cookies?" She asked Bren

"Umm, no thanks. I saw your husband with another woman" Bren said, he tried to sound like a kid to the adult and it seemed to work as Mrs. Rockbell's happy expression went sour.

"Don't tell me he has been messing around with that whore Martha Simpson?" She asked Bren and Bren figured he should play on that

"Yeah, I saw them wrestling in bed, I think your husband was winning because Mrs. Simpson was moaning in pain" Bren said, he felt bad for lying but it seemed to work. Mrs. Rockbell was grinding her teeth when she grabbed the rolling pin on the side

"Thank you for telling me" Mrs. Rockbell told Bren as she ran upstairs to her husband

"Oh hey honey" A male voice, most likely her husband's sad to her

"Remember our vows, till death do us part" Mrs. Rockbell said to him and Bren could hear the shouts of pain as Mrs. Rockbell beat her husband to death with the rolling pin

"Note to self, never piss off a woman with a rolling pin" Bren thought as he walked out to Betty who was laughing

"Now that was impressive. I knew Janet had a strong right arm, but I never thought she could do that, I must add those to the notes" Braun said to Bren

"Now where is my dad?" Bren asked Braun

"He is around, you must be a little more perceptive" Braun said, Bren was just about to hit him.

"Time for another game. This time I want you to kill Mrs. Henderson only don't beat her to death, that would be too boring. Try to be creative. With this" Betty said to Bren

"I can't do that, I can't kill a person" Bren said to Betty

"Don't be alarmed, while I'm in control they will not really die, just in this world. I can bring them back at will. I done it before" Braun explained and Bren walked off. He needed to find his dad and if he had to kill someone, he had no choice

He walked into Mrs. Henderson house where he was met with a Mr. Gutsy

"Hello young Sir. Oh Mabel, you have a guest" Mr. Gutsy said and the woman came out of the kitchen

"Oh hello, let me guess you want a pie. Everyone wants one of my famous Apple pies" Mr. Henderson said to Bren and He nodded

"I will get right on it, but I need to head upstairs and water the plants, they always need water" She said taking a watering can up

Bren got to work checking the kitchen when he found a terminal

"Isn't this interesting" Bren thought as he began to hack it and soon found the programs on the Mr. Gutsy. Right now it was just set to Greet Guests, but he set it to Security mode and to head upstairs

"Sorry Mrs. Henderson" Bren thought as he heard the Mr. Gutsy head upstairs

"Oh Mr. Gutsy you're supposed to stay down stai-" Mrs. Henderson was cut off by the sound of a buzz saw starting and Bren heard the sound of a blood curdling scream

"Ok now I think it is time to go" Bren thought as he ran out the house and he made it to Betty

"Killed by her own Mr. Gusty, I knew her love for machinery would get her one day" Braun said chuckling

"You are a sick man" Bren said to Braun as he threw up

"My my, quite a weak stomach" Braun said mocking Bren

"Tell me where my dad is you bastard" Bren grunted and Betty giggled

"Not until you do one more thing. Ever heard of the pint sized slasher, well everyone here is scared of him. You get to play him now. All you have to do is go to the dog house and then kill everyone. After that you get your freedom, and your dad as well" Betty said and Bren glared at her

"Pinky swear" Betty added

"Alright, I will do as you say" Bren said as he walked off but before he made it to the dog house he was stopped by an old lady

"You don't belong here" The woman said

"Pardon?" Bren asked

"You don't belong in this simulation" She said to Bren

"You know this is a simulation?" Bren asked her

"Yes, for so many decades I, and many others have died over and over again. I remember everything. Find the fail safe in the abandoned house and end our suffering….please" The woman begged him and Bren nodded his head

"Right, I will end your suffering" Bren said to her and he ran into the abandoned house where he only saw a dimly lit lighted room full of junk.

"What is with this junk?" Bren thought as he touched a radio and tone sounded.

"A code" Bren thought as he pressed other objects. It took a few tries but he soon got the code right and then a large computer materialized to the side of Bren

"This must be the fail safe" Bren thought as he check the notes, seems Braun had been changing the simulation multiple times. Going from Ski resorts to Tropical Paradise to now the nostalgic neighborhood. And according to the notes, the fail safe kills everyone except for Braun. But it seems that Bren and his Dad since they were never registered and some other things he didn't understand, the fail safe would not kill them.

"People of Vault 112, I now set you free" Bren said hitting the fail safe switch. He heard gun shots and Chinese shouting and he ran out to see Chinese soldiers attacking and killing everyone around them.

"You ruined everything" Betty shouted at Bren

"Its over, these people are free now, tell me where is dad?" Bren asked

"He was here, when he wouldn't stop asking for more information, I turned him into a dog. Man's best friend indeed" Braun said sighing

"Well now you can leave, take the door next to me, and go. I am now forced to spend eternity alone" Braun said sadly as Bren opened the door that had materialized next to Braun.

The pod he was in opened up and Bren got out

"Bren are you alright, I been monitoring the computer and everyone is flat lining" Rick said to Bren

"They are free now Rick" Bren said to Him and then another pod opened and a man groaned as he stepped out. It was Bren's father, James and he looked at his son.

"Bren, I was right it was you" James said to Bren and they walked to each other, James held his arms out to hug Bren but instead of a warm moment, he got a right hook into the face. In which he landed the floor into a mass of pain.


	19. A Father's Sacrifice

Bren was looking at his dad who was on the ground, his fist was shaking from just punching his dad right in the kisser.

"Son why did you do that?" James asked Bren

"That was for all the shit you put me through, I was nearly killed by the Overseer, raiders tried to shoot me, I almost got gutted by a deathclaw, twice, an over sized super mutant tried to turn me into a pancake, and I even got abducted by aliens. I spent a long time looking for you, and all you ask is why I punched you, you bastard you deserve more." Bren said to his dad

Both seemed to stare into each others eyes for what seemed like hours but was seconds.

"I'm glad you are all right, but did you have to leave me in the vault?" Bren asked helping James up

"Son….you're right, but it was for your own good….wait did you say you were abducted by aliens?" James asked

"Very long story, point being is that you have a lot to explain to me" Bren said to James

"I suppose I do" James said to Bren

"Uh Bren I think we should head back to Rivet City, Li is waiting for us" Rick said and James looked at him

"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself, my name is-"James was cut off by Rick removing his helmet

"No need Doctor, we already met" Rick said and James studied his face

"Rick? Is that you?" James asked

"Recognized the scar eh? Yeah it is" Rick said

"But when we came to the Memorial we couldn't find you, we found your son's body but…oh" James realized why Rick wasn't there

"I understand now" James said

"Dad did you find the G.E.C.K.?" Bren asked and James turned to Bren and smiled

"Yes, I know where is it is, and what it does. The Project can run again" James said to Bren

"That is good to know Doctor" Rick said to James

"Bren, your mother would be very proud, it was our dream to bring water to the wasteland, don't you understand, Revelation 21:6, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely that was Project Purity." James said to Bren and Bren understood

"Thanks dad, but why didn't you tell me, or take me out of the vault for that matter?" Bren asked

"Son, I don't have to tell you the wasteland is a terrible place. I left the project after your mother died when you were born. I had to protect you. I came to Vault 101 where I was given a job as a doctor into the Vault. But the Overseer sealed it; he wanted the Vault to remain pure and untainted from the Capital Wasteland. I know it wasn't a fun place but it was safe." James explained

"Yeah safe, after you left they killed Jonas and tried to kill me" Bren said and James sighed

"Alphonse tried to kill you huh…why am I not surprised" James said to Bren

"Dad I want to help you, mom would have wanted me to help too" Bren said to James and he smiled

"Son, because of you I'm not scratching fleas, honestly it is not so great to be a dog" James said and everyone laughed

"I suppose it wouldn't" Charon said and James turned to Charon

"Well isn't this interesting, a highly irradiated human or more commonly known as a ghoul" James said examining Charon

"Hey, watch it, try to experiment on me and I will shoot you in the face" Charon threatened

"Fair enough, Bren he a friend of yours?" James asked

"Long story short, I own his contract, he listens to me" Bren explained

"Ah, Mercenary" James said

"We best be off Doctor" Rick said to James

"Right, come on we better get moving" James said to the group and Bren got changed into his modified 101 combat armor as he called it and they left the Garage

Unknown to them a man in a modified power armor was watching them from a large rock formation, in his hands were a pair binocular

"Chimera Agent Skyler reporting in, it would seem that 101 member found him. That's right James. I will follow and send the location of the purifier." He said on his com link

It took the group only a day and half to make it back to Rivet city and inside the lab Li was surprised to see James

"James…is it really you?" Li asked him and he chuckled

"It is, listen, I figured out the solution to the problem. The G.E.C.K. it's the key component to the purifier, with it we can restart the project" James said to Li

"James are you sure" Li asked

"I'm so sure I would bet my life on this project" James said to Li

"Alright, I will get a team put together, give us an hour and we will have everything we need to restart the project" Li said to James

"Thank you" James said

"We better prepare ourselves" Rick said to Bren and they spent the hour getting their weapons fixed, Bren was able to have his armor modified even further. The arms and legs were now protected, and he got more ammo for his shotgun and magnum

When the hour was up they were waiting outside of Rivet city where James, Li and a few others were with them, ready for the small trip to the memorial

"Let's do this" Rick said as they walked off

It only took 15 minutes to make it into the Memorial. Since Bren had already cleared the mutants out on his first trip they were able to go inside without a problem and soon they made it to the Rotunda where everyone went hard at work on the machinery

"Alright Bren I'm going to need you to do something for me" James said to Bren

"What do you need?" Bren asked

"I need you to head into the basement and turn off the power to the flood control" James explained

"Ok that I can do" Bren said as he went down with Charon. Rick decided to stay and clear out some of the bodies of the mutants that they made earlier

Down in the basement Bren found the switch box and switched off the power to the flood

"If I'm reading this correctly you just turned off the power, head back up for the next task" James told Bren via Intercom

"On it" Bren said and he went back up

Back inside the Rotunda, James handed Bren some fuses

"I'm sure you know how to use these, I need you to replace the broken fuses in the basement" James said to Bren and he nodded

"On it" Bren said as he took the fuses and after making his way into the basement he fixed the fuse box

"Ok good job, next I want you to head to the main frame computer, you should find it in the basement, boot it up" James said to Bren once again over the intercom

"Understood" Bren said to James and he went to the main frame computer and he started it up. It hummed and then the intercom rang with James' voice

"Ok Bren, I am getting access to the mainframe head on back….wait strike that. I need you to do one more thing. We have some blockage in the intake pipe; we need you to head into the pipe and manually activate the drainage. After that you can come back" James said over the intercom

"Right Dad" Bren said to James and he and Charon went to the pipe and after walking through Bren was outside and he could see from a large broken, upper section of the pipe the sun was bright and shining

"I can't believe things are going well Charon" Bren said to his ghoul companion

"Glad to know your life is going in a smooth direction" Charon said as Bren turned the valve, he could hear the pipe activate. Now the drainage will work.

"Alright Bren good job" James said over a nearby intercom, "Head on back….wait what's that?" James asked and Bren looked up and saw large air craft land near the memorial

"Enclave, what are they doing here?" Bren heard Li's voice on the intercom

"Don't panic, let me do the talking" James said and Bren decided it was time to head on back

"Come on Charon" Bren said to him and they continued onwards into the pipe. They soon made it down and he came face to face with a man in power armor, just like the man they saw in Megaton

"Ghoul!" The man shouted and he pulled out his weapon, Charon however was too fast the man and he shot him in the chest. The force of the blast knocked the man down and Charon removed the soldier's helmet and he pulled out a combat knife

"Wait, don't, please I will do anything!" the man pleaded as he saw the ghoul look face to face to him

"Anything….alright, I want you to….die!" Charon said and he slammed the knife right into the man's head

He pulled it out and flicked the knife sending blood onto the wall

"Did you really have to do that?" Bren asked Charon

"Bren, those Enclave bastards don't care about anyone but their "Pure race" they hunt ghouls down like Brahmin, they don't deserve to live" Charon explained as he stomped on the dead man's face for good measure

"Come your father awaits" Charon said and they ran to the rotunda

Li, Rick, and a few other people were looking into the case that held the purifier, inside were more power armored men and another man in an overcoat who was talking to James

"My name is Colonel Autumn and by the authority of the Enclave, I demand you forfeit this facility and all notes regarding such." The man in the over coat demanded in his Southern accent

"I'm sorry but the Enclave has no authority here. I'm afraid you must leave" James said and Autumn sighed and pulled out a pistol

"Perhaps I'm not making myself clear" He said and he turned and shot a scientist who was inside right in the chest killing her

"Dad!" Bren shouted and he ran up to the purifier, they were sealed off by a wall. Bren banged onto the door but it wouldn't budge

"Sir, who is that man?" Autumn asked pointing his pistol at Bren who was glaring at him

"Just my son, he has nothing to do with this" James said and Autumn chuckled

"Ah, family, the Enclave appreciates American values like that. More so that if you do not cooperate, I will be forced to deal with you…in more alternative methods" He said and James glared at Autumn

"You leave him out of this, I swear if you harm him, I will never forgive you" James said and Autumn just laughed

"Sorry that won't work, I hold the cards in this game, now I am going to give you to the count of three to start up this machine or else, one" Autumn said starting the countdown

"But the machine isn't ready, it hasn't-"James tried to plead with the Colonel but he wouldn't listen

"Two" He said

"Look we haven't tested the machine for any new problems and if-"James tried again and Autumn was about to finish

"Thre-"He was about to finish when James let out a sigh of defeat

"Alright I will start of the purifier" James said

"Good, I'm glad you could see it my way" Autumn said to James and he and Bren could see James working on the computer but something went wrong, an explosion rang out from the computer and Bren could hear a hiss

"What did you do?" the Colonel asked coughing

"I overloaded the computer; you and me are going to die here. It is too late the room is filling with radiation…." James clutched his chest and fell onto his knees, while the enclave soldiers fell down dead and Autumn fell as well.

"Dad!" Bren shouted and he saw James drag himself to the door that separated

"Bren….run….you have to…..run….." James groaned and succumbed to the radiation. He fell to ground dead and Bren cried. He was a grown man, and he cried.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!!!" Bren shouted

"Bren come on, we have to get out of here" Li told him but Bren wouldn't budged, he couldn't, his mind was in chaos

"Bren come on, your dad wouldn't want you to die like this" Rick shouted and Bren turned to him, he was right. His father gave him the chance to escape and live. He had to take it.

"Quickly before those soldiers get in here" Charon said and Bren took one look back at the body of his father

"Good bye Dad…." Was all Bren could say as he ran.

AN: a Depressing part of the Fallout 3 story. I remember the first time I went though it. It made me cry in real life because, I spent the good part of the game looking for dad, and after that….he died. Quite a memorial moment in the Fallout Universe if I do say so myself. See you next chapter my fair readers.


	20. Rick's Final Battle

AN: I want to thank everyone who has followed my story to the 20th chapter. I'm not sure how everyone feels about the relationship between a writer and reader but in my opinion it is a bond that is important. It is your dedication and love of my work that makes me want to keep typing this story. I made a decision. I will be sticking to this series for a long time. I will follow the main quest and soon branch off into separate fanfictions that follow me throughout the DLC, and even my own adventures that I made up the Wasteland Life is my pride and joy on this site. But for now, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Enjoy my 20th chapter.

"Good, I'm glad you could see it my way" Autumn said to James and he and Bren could see James working on the computer but something went wrong, an explosion rang out from the computer and Bren could hear a hiss

"What did you do?" the Colonel asked coughing

"I overloaded the computer; you and me are going to die here. It is too late the room is filling with radiation…." James clutched his chest and fell onto his knees, while the enclave soldiers fell down dead and Autumn fell as well.

"Dad!" Bren shouted and he saw James drag himself to the door that separated

"Bren….run….you have to…..run….." James groaned and succumbed to the radiation. He fell to ground dead and Bren cried. He was a grown man, and he cried.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!!!" Bren shouted

"Bren come on, we have to get out of here" Li told him but Bren wouldn't budged, he couldn't, his mind was in chaos

"Bren come on, your dad wouldn't want you to die like this" Rick shouted and Bren turned to him, he was right. His father gave him the chance to escape and live. He had to take it.

"Quickly before those soldiers get in here" Charon said and Bren took one look back at the body of his father

"Good bye Dad…." Was all Bren could say as he ran.

They ran out of the rotunda which was beginning to fill with leaked radiation and they came face to face with two Enclave soldiers

"There's one, blast him" One of them said to the other and Bren glared at them

"Fuck you!" Bren shouted and he ran close to the armored man and shot him at point blank range with his combat shotgun, Charon did the same with the other

"That hurt…." The enclave soldier said as he lied on the ground and Bren removed both of their helmets while Charon held them down. Bren held his magnum at their heads

"We will give you anything you want just spare us!" The man begged and Bren just looked dark

"Give me back my dad" Bren said and he fired two shots, one into each man's head, their final expression in life was horror when they saw the glare of the orphan that was Bren.

"Bren control yourself" Rick said and Bren turned to him

"They killed my father, they deserve to die" Bren said as Li opened up a manhole

"This way" Li told them as they went down the ladder into the underground tunnels

"We have to keep moving, I don't know how the Enclave found us but we can't let them find us" Li said to the group of people who made it out.

"Right, Me and Bren will lead, Charon you take the rear" Rick ordered

Charon grumbled about taking orders from Rick but he obeyed out of respect for the man.

"Lets move out" Rick said

"Yeah" Bren said looking at the ground, his mind was going mad, he couldn't think straight and Rick could see it

"Bren hand me the bag of grenades, I will handle them" Rick told Bren and he nodded as he handed Rick the bag of at least 12 frag grenades

"Bren I know it hurts, but now is not the time to mourn him" Rick told Bren and Bren wiped a tear away but he didn't respond to the statement

"Stay lively everyone" Rick said holding up his combat shotgun, he could tell they were not out of the woods

"There are ghouls down here" Charon said

"How can you tell?" Li asked Charon, she was still getting used to him hovering over her shoulder

"Because I can smell them, ghouls can smell each other with more…what's the word, subtle scents. How else do we seem to find each other and stay together?" Charon explained

"Well if they are feral, they are gonna have to die" Rick said, he had no problems with ghouls, as long as they don't try to kill him, they can go about their business

It wasn't long before they heard a rough gasp from a feral ghoul, it snarled at the group and jumped at them but it was shot mid flight from a well placed shot from Rick's combat shotgun, raining blood and guts over the floor

"First thing to go, the brain" Rick muttered noting the lack of strategy in the feral ghoul's attack

"Lets keep moving" Rick said as they made their way through, it went from a tunnel to a more sewer like area it was until they made it past a large room did they hear a laugh, it was dark and chilling to the bone, Rick turned and saw Skyler right in the middle of the room

"Impossible, I saw you get caught in the cave in!" Rick shouted at the Chimera

"A Chimera is built to withstand explosions a blows like that, if can't even beat me, then you could never beat my brother, then again I'm supposed to make sure you don't leave, _alive"_ The last word he licked his lips and held up his steel gauntlet to the dim lights

"How did you find us?" Rick asked

" I follow you, I been following you for about a week, let me just say you need to learn to cover your tracks better, if it wasn't for you, the Enclave would have never found the Purifier" Skyler said and he laughed like a high pitched demon, his eye twitched and he ran at Rick who blocked the claws with his shotgun

"Doctor Li, the nearby terminal, seal off the room and go" Rick grunted and Bren's eyes widened

"Rick you can't!" Bren shouted to him

"I have to, you need to get away from him. Trust me on this and GO!" Rick shouted sending a kick right into Skyler and sending him into the middle of the room, Li had finished hacking the system and she set it so the plate steel door would close. Bren saw Rick look back at Bren and smile at him. He knew he was going to die, but it would be a warriors death that he would be granted

"Bren we have to go" Li said smashing the console with a nearby rock and Bren and the group ran off

Inside the room Skyler licked the claws of his gauntlet

"You are quite a fool to face me alone, did you know that when we are 16, we are tested before we are truly ready to be an agent. Your brotherhood could never match us" Skyler said to mock Rick

"How so?" Rick asked cocking his shotgun

"The test is simple, we are unarmed, and we are forced to face a deathclaw, a live deathclaw, caught from the wastes. I was able to face three at once" Skyler said and his right eye twitched, his grin was of insanity

"Right after that I kill 10 of my fellow chimeras, I was a special case they said, in order to see how I matched up to my brother, I faced 10 of my closest friends in armed combat….HAHAHAHA I slaughtered them without a problem" Skyler explained to Rick, Rick panicked, this man was able to kill his friends without remorse. He faced three deathclaw unarmed, this was truly a demon.

"Now then, I will give you time to pray to your god, for after this, you will be meeting him" Skyler said and Rick answered with a shot right in the chest sending him to the floor

"Sorry I'm not the praying type. Now get up" Rick said to Skyler who sent a sweeping kick knocking Rick to the ground

"That worthless gun won't hurt me, this prototype power armor could withstand the blow of a super mutant's super sledge, your little shotgun is nothing" Skyler said to Rick and he got up and threw a clawed spear fist right at Rick's face

"Not so fast" Rick said as he blocked it with the muzzle of the shotgun, it was a lucky save and it gave him time to roll to the side and pull out his .32 caliber pistol

"I'm not going down without a fight" Rick said and he fired three shots at Skyler who dodged them, he seemed to see the shots and where they were aiming

"You can't do that to kill me" Skyler said to Rick and he did a jump kick right into Rick's chest

"Wonder why we are called Chimera? The answer is simple, we are super soldiers whose DNA is fused with the DNA of Deathclaws and other creatures. Me, I'm half Yao Guai, my brother is half Deathclaw" Skyler said and with that he sent a swipe onto the helmet cutting it into ribbons, Rick's face was bleeding from the small cuts from the claws

"You see, I'm in a different class, the Enclave may have lost back in California but with the creation of the Chimera, the World will know the true power of the Enclave" Skyler licked his lips at these words, Rick could see his teeth were sharp and deadly, he was less human and more animal

"You forgot one thing" Rick said and Skyler looked at him

"You forget what I have" Rick said and he pulled out a frag grenade from his side bag and held the pin

"I have 11 more, once this one goes off, you are going to die with me" Rick explained and Skyler laughed

"Or I can do this" Skyler said and he did a spear fist right through Rick's chest, the claw's pierced the power armor and went effortlessly into Rick's flesh. He barely missed the vitals and Rick coughed up blood.

"Game over Iron Wall" Skyler said but he noticed something, Rick had used the last ounce of his strength to hold up his right hand, right around the index finger, like a ring was the pin to the grenade. Rick just smiled and closed his eyes.

Back with Bren's group they felt the tunnel shake and they heard an ear shattering explosion.

"Rick…" Bren thought to himself, but he clutched his combat shotgun. Those Enclave bastards were going to pay for this.

He was about to continue the hike through the tunnels when Li stopped him

"Bren hold on" Li said and Bren turned to her

"We can't we have to keep moving" Bren said but then he heard moaning from one of the men

"Its Garza, his heart condition has gone critical" Li explained

"What can we do for him?" Bren asked

"I need some stimpacks" Li said and Bren checked his pack, he had only three stimpacks

"I only have three" Bren said remorsefully

Charon looked at the man

" Maybe Buffout could help him" Charon suggested

"You know medicine?" Li asked the ghoul mercenary

"When you lived as long as I have, you learn a few things" Charon replied

"I have two bottles of Buffout" Bren said pulling out the pill bottles

"I suppose three stimpacks and two Buffout to supplement them will be enough until we can get him medical help" Li said taking the medicine

"Garza hold still, this may sting" Li told him and she administered the makeshift treatment to the man

"This should hold him until we make it to the Brotherhood" Li told Bren and He lead on the group

Bren looked around the tunnels, out of everyone in the group, only him and Charon could fight, they had to be careful not to meet up with any more Enclave soldiers

"I don't like the look of this place" Charon said scanning the area behind them

" Agreed" Bren replied to Charon

"Found you" A voice said and Bren felt a burning on his left arm, he turned and saw an Enclave solider firing green shots of plasma right at the group

"My arm!" Bren shouted and he grabbed his magnum and fired on the soldier, the bullets couldn't penetrate the power armor, only bounce off

"Get a load of this" Charon shouted as he fired three shots from his combat shotgun, the force knocked the solider back and the scientists ran ahead leaving Bren and Charon to fight this man

"How's your arm" Charon asked Bren

"It burns, I don't think I can use my shotgun" Bren said to Charon as he clutched his arm

"Damn plasma, then I guess it is my turn then" Charon said and he looked around, the soldier was on an upper level and they had no way to get up there, at least in the current vicinity.

"Give me a leg up" Charon told Bren and before he could understand, Charon jumped on top of Bren's shoulders and he sprung right off of him and onto the platform where the confused armored man stared face to face with the ghoul

"Say your prayers" Charon said stabbing a combat knife right between the where the helmet and the collar of the armor met. The man gurgled blood and slowly died. Charon just jumped down to Bren

"Let go before more of them come" Charon said and Bren nodded in agreement as they made their way back to the group.

"I'm glad you're alright" Li said to Bren, but she then noticed his arm which he was clutching

"Are you alright?" Li asked Bren

"They got my arm" Bren said wincing in pain

"Plasma bolt got him" Charon explained

"We better hurry, we should be getting close to the Citadel by now" Li said and they continued onward

After five minutes of walking they saw a small barricade of sandbags and junk and a brotherhood member with a mini gun looking at them

"Halt" The man said

"We are here to see Lyons, look let us through" Li pleaded and the man nodded

"Alright don't cause trouble, that goes for the walking freak show near you" He said pointing to Charon

"Hey I resent that" Charon retorted but then they heard the sound of feral ghouls

"God damn it, they're back" the brotherhood member shouted and he motioned for them to move back, they saw five ghouls come out but the man fired up his mini gun

"Say hello to my little friend!" He shouted and 50 5mm shots fired out annihilating the ghouls who tried to break the line

"Go on ahead" The man said and they went up the ladder (Bren had a little difficulty due to his left arm)

They soon came out and in front of a large gate, brotherhood members guarded the large fortress and Li turned to one of them.

"We need to get inside" Li told the guard but the man sighed

"Look no one gets in, now I suggest you leave the way you came" The guard said without remorse

"Damn it, we have hurt people, we need to head inside" Li pleaded but the man wouldn't budge, Li ran to the nearby intercom and pushed the button

"Owyn Lyons I know you are in there, please its me Madison Li, damn it open this godforsaken door at once" She shouted into the intercom and before the guard could stop her the Gate opened up.

"Well looks like you are on the list" The guard said glaring at the group, "Head on inside, but don't cause any trouble, or else" The guard threatened, and Bren and the group made their way inside.


	21. Bren's depression

Bren looked around the large fortress, they had just walked inside one of the safest places in the Capital Wasteland and Bren knew it. It was a sight to behold; people in power armor were firing on mock targets, patrolling the area, and more so just preparing for any threat.

"Wow" Was all Bren could say

The group saw an elderly man walk to them. He had a sense of wisdom that seemed to calm everyone

"Elder Lyons" Li said to the man and she took a deep breath

"Madison what happened, where is James?" man who seemed to be called Lyons asked Li

"James is….dead sir. The Enclave have taken the project over" Li explained and Lyons didn't seem too upset

"You told me years ago that the project didn't work. I'm sorry about James but it doesn't seem like a reason to fight against the Enclave" Lyons said to Li

"You don't understand, James had an idea on how to fix it, we need to find the G.E.C.K." Li explained to Lyons who nodded his head

"Really, well we don't have the resources to find it, I'm sorry but I can't help you, now who is this?" Lyons asked pointing to Bren

"That would be James' son, Bren" Li said to Lyons

Lyons walked to Bren and put his hand on his shoulder

"I'm sorry for your loss, I really am, come you must be tired. That plasma burn should be treated, come I will escort you to the medical bay" He said and he and Bren went to the medical bay

"John please help our friend here, he had a nasty plasma burn" Lyons said to the doctor

"And that?" John asked pointing to Charon who grumbled at being called a freak and a "that"

"I have a name" Charon said

"He is my body guard" Bren said in a low tone, he wasn't smiling but he removed his shirt to allow the doctor to examine the burn

"Plasma, nasty weapon" John said taking a stimpack and injecting it into Bren's arm

"This will help the healing process, but I don't recommend using two handed weapons for a while" John advised wrapping the arm in gauze

"Noted" Bren muttered as he removed his shirt and walked out of the medical bay, he walked into the courtyard with Charon and went to a balcony overlooking the place.

He sat down on a chair that was set up for the guards and just stared into the distance

"If you have a problem you can talk to me" Charon said to Bren

"Charon, did you lose all your loved ones in the same day….everyone who was important to you gone…." Bren said mournfully

"I was an Orphan right from the beginning, I remember it being before those damn bombs fell, I was trained to be the perfect mercenary, I could remember some sort of buzzing every time I disobeyed the person who was holding my contract. It was weird but now it is like my own mind telling me to listen to you" Charon explained

"You lived before the bombs fell?" Bren asked

"Ghouls can live for a very long time, well provided we don't go feral. I have been with over a hundred owners, and out of all them, you are the only one who hasn't used me for evil things. Why don't you want to, if I may be so bold to ask" Charon asked Bren

"I was raised good….dad always taught me to do the right thing….dad" Bren trailed off and Charon sighed

"Sorry for touching a nerve, I could tell he was a good man. Bren, you better get some sleep, it is almost sundown" Charon suggested and Bren nodded

He and the other were able to get some beds in another wing; they were ones that Brotherhood members weren't using from either being out in the field or KIA

Bren couldn't sleep, Charon had dozed off because every three days he would sleep to recharge, after that he would always remain awake. All Bren could do was think….and he made a decision…he would go.

Bren got up and dressed as quietly as he could and took his shotgun and magnum. He had enough caps to last him for awhile, and he had plenty of supplies in his pack. It was time to go.

Bren walked out of the barracks and into the courtyard. The moon shines Bright and full illuminating the ground, Bren walked out of the gate and the Brotherhood members did a polite head bow as he walked off and he continued walking to the wee hours of the night.

It was the next morning when Charon first woke up, seven on the dot but then he looked around

"Bren? Bren!?" Charon was frantic

"Everyone wake up, Bren is missing" Charon told the others and they woke up

"What, where did he go?" Li asked

"Damn it, I should have kept a better eye on him" Charon muttered, he clutched his head, and thought, where would Bren go….he was upset and in pain….

"Guys I think I know where Bren went" Charon said and everyone turned to him

"Where?" Li asked

"Bren was really upset, now I think he left to do some soul searching. Maybe we should wait for him to return" Charon said and everyone nodded. It would take at while before the Enclave could fix up project purity so they supposed that Bren would need time to cope with his losses.

Back with Bren he was walking through some ruins of some tall building, he hadn't come across anything through the night and nothing around the morning. He had a quick breakfast of Dandy Boy apples with some dirty water which he could never get used to

"God, this world sucks…." Bren thought as he stepped over a skeleton, he judged that it was killed by some club because of the cracked skull

"I wonder what I should do." Bren asked himself, he had nowhere to go, and he had no idea the lay of the wasteland

"Wondering where to go eh?" a voice called out and Bren turned to a raider holding a Chinese Assault Rifle

"Your caps or life" The raider demanded, he was standing on top of a pile of rubble and he grinned

"You and what army?" Bren asked and he quickly regretted that question when four more raiders came out of the wood works

"You were saying? Drop all your caps, ammo, weapons, and supplies, and you can go. Keep the clothes" The raider demanded, Bren let out a sigh of defeat because he knew he couldn't face all of these men and dropped his shotgun and backpack. Lucky for him he kept his magnum on his person in a sewn in pocket, problem was that the ammo was in the pack, so all he had were six shots let in his hidden gun

"That's everything I swear" Bren said and the raider leader motioned to one of the men to examine the pack

"Food, water, ammo, even a deathclaw hand which I'm surprised, looks good enough to me" The raider said picking up the supplies and shotgun

"So can I go?" Bren asked

"Sorry but I'm afraid I can't do that, you see I find it easier to kill an unarmed target, sorry but you should have shot me when you had the chance" The leader said laughing and everyone pointed their guns at Bren who was surrounded by the raiders. It was the end

A Gun shot rang out and Bren looked at his body, no bullet wounds but he saw the leader dead with a bullet hole on his forehead, the body fell to the ground and Bren could see behind where the raider stood a man in an overcoat and fedora, in his right hand was a magnum, the left was a lit cigarette. He took one drag of the cigarette and tossed it to the side and let out some smoke

"Now is this anyway to treat a fellow wastelander?" The stranger asked the raiders who just stared at the man

"Get Him!" One of them shouted and he was shot right in the forehead sending him to the ground

Two of them tried to sneak behind him with baseball bats but the Stranger seemed to have noticed them as he turned and shot them both in the face with surgical precision

The last one dropped Bren's stuff and tried to run but the Stranger took aim and fired on the raider dropping him. Bren was amazed as he watched the stranger pick up his stuff and hand them to Bren

"You ok?" The Stranger asked

"I think so" Bren said looking at the bodies but then he realized, this isn't a high traffic area

"How did you find me?" Bren asked the Stranger

"I come and go, helping those in need; you were in need so I came" The stranger said in a cryptic fashion

"But why did you help me?" Bren asked

"The Wasteland has many stories; five of them had just ended so that you may add another chapter to yours. I can tell you have an important destiny, you can't die yet" The Stranger said

"At least tell me your name" Bren requested

"I go by many names, besides my story isn't important to tell. Bren check to make sure you still have your possessions" The stranger said and Bren looked into his pack but then he realized, he never told the man his named

"Wait how did you know…." Bren looked up and noticed the stranger was gone,"….My name"

Bren looked around, but he couldn't see where the man had left, where that Mysterious Stranger had gone, but he was thankful for the help from him and he figured they might meet again in the future.

"Maybe I will head to Megaton" Bren said to himself and he went up the stairs of what he figured as an old three story building which was now hollowed out by time and war, and he could see into the distance the metal and junk that was Megaton

"Bingo" Bren thought as he walked down and continued on his path towards the town.

After an hour of hiking he made it to the town where he was greeted by Lucas Smith. He needed a drink so he went to the Saloon and ordered a Nuka Cola which he drank.

"How about another?" Bren asked Gob who handed him another Nuka Cola

Bren looked at it and began to cry

"Something wrong Bren?" Gob asked him

"No….I just miss my dad" Bren said to the ghoul bartender

"Harsh, hey tell you what, all drinks on the house" Gob said to Bren trying to cheer him up

"Its ok, thanks anyway" Bren said drinking the bottle and ordering another

"….I just want to start, a flame in your heeeeeeeart. That was Horace Heidt with his nostalgic and ironic song; I don't want to set the World on Fire" Three Dogs voice rang out of the radio

"Just thought I say another shout out to our Lone Wanderer, the Kid from Vault 101, Bren. I heard rumors that it was he who took down that Deathclaw Scar on the way to rivet City. Good Job Kid. Now I got this problem with a few molerats in my bathroom, mind stopping by to take care of them? Thanks for listening children, this is Three Dogs HOW, and your listening to Galaxy News Radio, telling you the truth, no matter how much it hurts. And now some Music" Three Dogs then played Mr. Sandman onto the radio and Gob smiled

"Always loved that tune, so is it true, you took down that deathclaw?" Gob asked

"It is, almost died too" Bren said to Gob

"I heard they can cut through steel with those claws" Gob said to Bren

"I wouldn't be surprised, and I would rather not try to test that theory out" Bren said to the ghoul and he chuckled

"Right, here is the pay for the drinks and something for yourself" Bren said to him dropping 120 caps for the drinks and tip and he walked out of the Saloon

"What should I do now" Bren thought and then he heard a ringing on his Pipboy which surprised him, he turned the signal to the frequency and he heard a robot speaking

"_This is an automated distress message from Vault-Tec Vault 101. Message begins:"_

Bren then heard the voice of Amata, it felt like ages since he heard her voice.

"_It feels like you left home a long time ago, but I know you're still out there. I just hope you're still alive to hear this.  
Things got worse after you left. My father's gone mad with power. If you can hear this, please stop looking for your dad and help stop mine.  
I changed the door password to my name. If you're hearing this, and you still care enough to help me, you should remember it."  
_

Bren could hear the message repeat and he felt the impact slam into him like a super mutant's sledgehammer.

"I have to help her" Bren thought and he ran out of the Megaton. He may have learned that Vault 101 wasn't his birthplace but it was his home in any case. Amata needed his help and he would deliver.

Bren walked up to the scenic overlook. He remembered seeing that dented sign when he came out of the vault, vowing never to return. Oh how fate dealt him this hand.

Bren walked through the old wooden door and came in front of the cog shaped door, with the number 101 painted in the middle of the cog.

What really surprised Bren were the skeletons that riddled the ground, when he left he never noticed them. He could see old signs with phrases, "Open the Fucking Door" and, "you're killing us" so Vault Tec doomed these people to hell on Earth.

Well now it was time for him to free these prisoners from the Vault.

He went to the console and typed in "Amata" and the door opened with a hiss and the sound of scrapping metal.

It was time to fix the trouble on the home front.


	22. Trouble on the Homefront

AN: Sorry for the short break, I been playing many games I got for Christmas and from the Christmas money. Seriously it is tough to drag me away from the fun games (Modern Warfare and Borderlands especially) But I digress, enjoy this next chapter.

Bren had opened up the Vault door. The walkway down had been blocked off by some barriers, cheap wooden barriers.

"Hey who the hell came down here?" a voice shouted and Bren saw a man in a Vault 101 Security Uniform, but instead of open firing upon Bren he was surprised

"Bren? Is that really you?" The man asked

"Officer Gomez?" Bren asked, and then he remembered, Gomez was helping Andy the Mr. Gutsy take down some radroaches on the day he escaped. He was also the only officer who didn't try to kill Bren.

"Bren I didn't recognize you from all the dust and grime" Gomez said to Bren and Bren sighed

"Look I came because I found a message, saying that the overseer had gone mad" Bren explained and Gomez sighed in agreement

"I know, it is true. The day after you and your father left, this vault had been going straight to hell. People had died and the Overseer had started breaking down on "trouble makers" They are only kids….look I should take you to the Overseer as ordered, but I think you should go see Amata" Gomez said and he led Bren through the Vault.

"What happened to everyone?" Bren asked

"Well most of your friends are rebels against the overseer, some of the adults as well. We lost some kids….poor Paul, those radroaches wouldn't have killed him if your father was still here as a doctor….Andy never got the hand of it" Gomez said as they walked though to the Atrium where Bren could see Old Officer Taylor arguing with Butch

"You kids better head back, I don't want to shoot you" Taylor said holding his 10mm pistol at Butch

"You can't stop us, you can't stop a tunnel snake" Butch replied and he pulled out his switch blade, Taylor fired a shot which nearly hit Butch in the face, Bren could see that it wasn't on purpose maybe more like a twitch or out of fear

"Shit" Butch Swore as he ran off deeper into the Vault.

"What the hell?" Bren asked Taylor

"I'm sorry…he ran at me with a knife and I panicked….oh these old bones" Taylor seemed upset

"Look, I'm going to go see them, maybe I can work something out" Bren said, little knowing that the Overseer was watching him through his Office Window

"So Bren, you have decided to return….how interesting" The Overseer thought as he watched Gomez escort Bren to the Medical Bay

After Walking through the corridors Bren came up to a panting Butch

"Bren, oh my god, it's really you. A Lot of people said you wouldn't come but me and Amata knew you would pull us through" Butch said smiling at Bren

"Butch how is your mother?" Bren asked

"She is alright, after she almost died she quit drinking, thank you so much that day….so did you find your pops?" Butch asked Bren

Bren looked down at the ground

"Something wrong?" Butch asked

"Dad…died….he died to save me" Bren explained and Butch didn't know what to say

"Bren, I'm sorry for your loss, I really am" Butch said putting his hand on Bren's shoulder in support

"Come on Amata is waiting for you" Gomez said to Bren and they continued onward and they were met by Amata

"Bren, it is so good to see you" Amata said hugging a surprised Bren who smiled and hugged Amata

"Bren, I need to talk to you" Amata said, she seemed worried and panicked and Bren held her down by her shoulders

"Amata calm down, I got the message and you told me your dad has gone mad with power, what happened?" Bren asked

Amata took a deep breath and they sat down on some crates that were set up like chairs

"It started right after you left. After I went back father forced the people to follow new guidelines. It was Marshall Law. He would crack down on many small offenses….Bren things have been going to hell" Amata told Bren and she shed some tears

"Father won't even listen to me, his own daughter" Amata said sobbing and Bren hugged her

"Let me talk to him, maybe I can reason with him" Bren said to Amata and she nodded

"Bren you better be careful" Butch said and Bren nodded as he walked off

Because many of the doors being blocked, most likely from the rebels, Bren had to take the long way around near the dinar where he met up with Officer Wilkins who stared at Bren with anger.

"You" He said and he walked to Bren who backed up a bit

"This was all your fault, you and your good for nothing father" He said, his words were full of hate and malice

"Look, I need to see the Overseer, I'm going to talk to him so we can fix this" Bren said to him, but Wilkins wouldn't move

"No, I'm afraid I can't do this, you see thanks to you, everyone wants to leave, everything this vault was built for will now be ruined thanks to you. You never should have left kid. And now we'll make sure that nobody ever leaves again!" He said and he ran at Bren with his police baton and slammed Bren in the chest with it, sending Bren to the ground

"Hey leave him alone" A voice shouted and Wilkins turned to Butch who held out his switchblade. He looked at Wilkins with an angry look in his eyes

"Well Butch what a surprise, I thought you would have quit being a Tunnel snake since your group was disbanded" Wilkins said to him turning his attention away from Bren

"You forgot someone, Bren here is an honorary member, and a true friend. You claimed he was a bad egg, well you know what, fuck you. He helped me save my mom from radroaches, and he didn't ask for anything in return. He is truly a good person" Butch said defending Bren and Wilkins glared at Butch

"I don't think the Overseer will mind if you die now" Wilkins said running at Butch with his security Baton, but Butch sidestepped him and sent his switch blade right into his right arm, forcing him to drop his baton on the ground.

"God damn it, my arm!" Wilkins shouted as he pulled the blade out and tossed it to the ground, he then pulled out using his left hand, his 10 mm pistol and pointed it at Butches' face

"I always knew it would be me killing you, your father was a worthless garbage burner, your mother was a drunk, and you were a punk who went too far. Goodbye Mr. DeLoria" Wilkins said and a shot was fired

"Sit on it" Bren said holding his magnum, he had fired right in the heart of Wilkins and the body fell to the ground

"Thanks Bren, I owe you another one" Butch said

"Why did you follow me?" Bren asked

"I figured you could use some help "convincing" the Overseer" Butch said to Bren

"Sorry but I think I should do this on my own" Bren said

"Bren, do you know what Amata wants?" Butch asked Bren

"To stop her father, that's what she said" Bren replied

"No, she wants to open the Vault, you know, start trading and make this into a city of sorts….me I want out. Bren if you can get the Overseer to open the Vault, I say, let me join you and you can be my number two in my new gang" Butch said

"I already have your Jacket and what about the other?" Bren asked

"Eh, I was thinking of a new gang, maybe the Wasteland Snakes, ya know? The others…well they either died or quit the gang. You and I are the only ones left" Butch explained

"Sorry to hear about that. Well I guess you could come with me, the Wasteland sure is better then the Vault" Bren said and Butch smiled

"Thanks dude, I will get packing" Butch said running off, most likely to get some stuff for when he leaves. Bren walked to the Overseer's office where he saw the Overseer looking out his window

"I know why you are here" The Overseer said not turning to Bren

"Then you know what I'm going to say then" Bren replied

"Bren, do you understand why the Vaults were made?" The Overseer asked

"To protect humanity, isn't that it?" Bren asked, he was taught as a kid that the Vaults were made to save the people from the atomic fires of war

The Overseer laughed at this and turned to Bren

"Bren you don't understand. The Vault were never made to save humanity, no they were made to test it. This Vault was never meant to open. But then again the Old Overseer was a fool to allow them to open it, trading and having contact, and your father….your father" The Overseer tried hard to keep his cool

"After he died, I took over as Overseer and made it so the Vault will never open, then you and your father had to ruin everything and leave. I hope you found that bastard" The overseer said and Bren tightened his fists

"My father died to protect his dream. Don't you ever insult him again" Bren threatened

"My my, aren't you sensitive, oh and by the way, my hand still stings thanks to that shot" The Overseer said holding up his hand which Bren could see his bandage wrapped around it

"You have to let them open the vault. They deserve to live outside" Bren pleaded to the Overseer

"No, as long as I am overseer, the Vault will never open. I suggest you leave now" The overseer said and Bren sighed

"Tell me, what do the words G.E.C.K. mean to you?" Bren asked

The Overseer looked at Bren

"We never had a G.E.C.K. let me explain. Vault Tec was going to send one to us, but instead gave it to another Vault. Sorry to disappoint you" The Overseer said to Bren

Bren thought for a moment and he realized the flaw in the Vault's plan

"The vault is going to die, with no genetic diversity the people here will not be able to survive for long, maybe two generations at most" Bren explained and the Overseer laughed at this

"Your father said the same thing, well forget it, we will be pure and strong. Unlike the savage and weak minded people of the wastes. Your father was only a step up from them" The overseer said and Bren snapped and pulled out his shotgun

"I gave you the chance to be reasonable, but I guess you can't, I will tell Amata I'm sorry for this" Bren said and he shot the Overseer right in the head. The blood covered the window and wall as the corpse fell to the ground. Bren shed a tear as he walked back to Amata

Amata had ran to Bren and hugged him

" I**...** I just heard. The Overseer**...** My father is dead. What's more, some of the people are saying I should be the new Overseer. It's all so sudden.

"That's the way these things go. Now do the right thing for your Vault." Bren said to Amata, he knew that Amata had what it takes to help these people

"Oh, I will, believe me. We can open up limited trade with nearby settlements and other areas, and see the world we've been missing. But it's still important that I protect our Vault, and keep the people within it safe from the dangers of the Wasteland. Even when those dangers have helped us in the past. And that makes the rest of this even harder." Amata looked at the Ground, she sighed

"I've got a bad feeling I know where this is going." Bren said, he had a feeling this could happen

"You saved us. But that doesn't change the fact that you killed one of us to do it, and I can't let that sort of thing stand here. I guess it's a bit familiar. You've already been forced out of the Vault once before. At least now you know what's out there. I'm sorry. You're a hero... and you have to leave." Amata's words hit Bren like a ton of Bricks

"I understand" Bren said and he walked off to the Entrance, Butch was waiting for him in the front of the Open door out of the Vault

"Got everything?" Bren asked

"Yep, so what did Amata say?" Butch asked

"….I can't come back" Bren said to Butch and Butch walked to Bren

"Bren, Chin up, come on you saved everyone, now come on we have a new place to take over. The Wasteland Snakes are going to show this World their true power" Butch said to Bren and He smiled

"Butch your right, lets go. I can introduce you to some friends of my mine" Bren said as they walked past the cog door and went outside

Butch took a moment to adjust to the light and he was speechless

"I know right" Bren said to Butch

"It…is beautiful" Butch said looking at the sky for the first time. He never knew how blue it was

"Come we better head to the base" Bren said as they walked down the cliff and on to the Super Duper Mart. They listened to GNR which was playing "Take on Me" by A-Ha, a song that inspiring to him [Three Dog] and for the Wasteland, Butch at least like the tune.

Bren had saved the Vault, but he had leave it as the cost of his deed. From the Vault Dweller in California, who saved Vault 13. Bren had saved Vault 101. But a new threat is now present. Bren must now save the Wasteland. He doesn't know it now. But his exploits shall be written into the chapters of history…


	23. The Horrors of Vault 108

AN: Been playing Borderlands lately, it is a great game. Sorry I just had to say it. If you liked Fallout 3 (if you didn't then why are you reading this fanfiction?) anyway it is a good game. Read and Review, seriously the more reviews I get, well I feel better about myself and it makes me want to go to my laptop, listen to my favorite music and type and type ^_^ anyway enjoy the next chapter.

Bren and Butch made their way through the Wasteland, Butch was amazed by the fresh air and the sites, despite the fact they were in a post apocalyptic hell hole.

"So you learned to survive here huh?" Butch Asked Bren as they climbs over a pile of refuge, Bren scanned the area incase there were enemies

"Yeah, those messages we got were fake. It isn't so bad once you think about it" Bren said to Butch as he munched on some snack cakes he had on him

"No kidding, so where are you taking me?" Butch asked as he stepped over a dead radroach

"To the Super Duper Mart, kinda my club house" Bren said to Butch and they made it to the mart where they were greeted by the security Robot, XJ9, Version 506, Code 3822TY, or as Bren called him, X.

"Greetings Jason Fox, is that person a fellow employee?" X asked turning to Butch who was a little surprised to see another robot other then Andy.

"Umm, yeah he is a friend of mine, his name is Butch" Bren explained

"***Scanning*** Greetings Butch, please have a pleasant visit" X said and it went on patrol around the mart. It was bright thanks to the working lights

"Jason Fox?" Butch asked

"It thinks I'm a prewar employee thanks to the name tag I'm carrying, really odd but he is listening to me" Bren explained and Butch nodded as they walked to the old raider Jericho who was asleep with a whisky bottle in his right hand

"Wake up!" Bren shouted and Jericho fell from his seat to the floor, groaning in pain

"Where's the fire?" Jericho asked half drunk like. He must have been drinking the day before and is having what Bren could recognize as a hangover

"Oh my head….oh hey Bren" Jericho said cracking his neck

"What is it Seven already?" Jericho asked

"Its 6:30" Bren said looking at his Pipboy

"Oh why did you wake me up early?" Jericho asked

"In the afternoon" Bren added and Butch laughed

"Friend of yours?" Jericho asked

"Yeah, names Butch, leader of the Wasteland Snakes" Butch said pulling out his switch blade

Jericho stared at the blade for five seconds and snorted

"I'll see your six inches and raise you 20" Jericho said drawing a sword, it looked Chinese and it had a Kanji on the hilt which if one could recognize would be the Kanji for Leader.

Butch stepped back in fear

"Found this off a raider who tried to break in, though X already got him before I could do something" Jericho explained, "So who is the bigger fish, eh?" Jericho asked Butch

Butch just remained silent out of fear

"Jericho, this is Butch, a friend from the Vault" Bren explained to Jericho who laughed and set the sword down

"I was kidding around Bren….say where is Rick? I wanted to have a drink with him for old time's sake" Jericho said and Bren looked down

"Bren?" Jericho asked

"Rick…died" Bren said sadly and Jericho nodded his head

"I see….well then tonight I will drink to his memory" Jericho said drawing a bottle of old Win (Dated 1987, good Year) and he popped the top off and began to drink it

"Who is Rick?" Butch asked Bren who went though the supply cases to replenish his ammo and food stock

"Rick was a friend who knew my dad outside of the Vault, he died to save me and a group of scientists….Butch, are you willing to follow me on an important mission?" Bren asked

"Bren, you area fellow Wasteland Snake, I will follow you to hell and back, just out of my respect for ya" Butch said and Bren smiled and tossed him a bag and 10mm pistol and carton of ammo

"Take these, the wasteland is a harsh place and you better be prepared" Bren said and Butch nodded

They took the day to rest, and Bren was able to fill Butch in on the current events that happened to him, from the Leaving of the Vault, almost getting gutted, abducted by aliens, then to project purity.

They left the Super Duper Mart and Bren continued to the Citadel where they met no resistance, and soon they made it to the Citadel where Bren and Butch were allowed in and they could see Charon sparring with a recruit in Recon armor

"What the fuck is that?" Butch asked Pointing at Charon

"That would be my friend and body guard, Charon. And he is a ghoul. Basically a person who took too much radiation and changed. He is tough and listens to me" Bren said and Butch nodded

They just saw Charon use a shoulder throw and slammed the recruit to the ground and he smiled

"Kid, now you have to learn to through your weight correctly, or else those mutants will take you down faster then I did" Charon explained the recruits nodded and the Brotherhood watching them shook Charon's hand

"Thank you Charon, your skills are most useful to these new recruits. I guess I was wrong about ghouls" The man said and Charon grumbled about the fact that he was basically an outcast. He took up his shotgun and he turned to face a smiling Bren

"Ah so you returned, and who is this?" Charon asked pointing to Butch

"This is my friend from the Vault, Butch" Bren said and Butch shook Charon's hand (then wiped it off on his pants afterwards)

"A Pleasure to meet you" Butch said to Charon and Charon turned to Bren

"Bren, what the fuck where you thinking?" Charon asked and Bren sighed

"Look I needed some soul searching, I came back to help with the project. Where is Dr. Li?" Bren asked Charon

"Check the lab, near the giant robot" Charon explained and he went to sitting down and drinking a bottle of dirty water

"Giant Robot?" Butch asked turning to Bren who shrugged his shoulders and they went through the doors and saw in amazement a large humanoid robot, it was deactivated and they saw Dr. Li on a Terminal where Bren tapped her on the shoulder surprising her

"Damn it Frank, I don't want a drink with yo- Oh sorry I thought you were someone else" Li said to Bren

"Li, I here to help" Bren said to her

"Check with Scribe Rothchild, he will tell you where to go" Li explained, "Oh and Bren, thanks for coming back" She added and Bren nodded his head and he went to the lower levels where he saw a man in a large red road looking on a map of the Wasteland checking over notes

"Are you Rothchild?" Bren asked and the man turned to Bren

"Yes, and you must James's son, Bran?" Rothchild asked

"Bren, and yes, look I want help find the G.E.C.K." Bren said to the man

"Right, we been checking old records and we have narrowed the possible places to have the G.E.C.K. First we have Vault 87, we tried to explore years ago but couldn't thanks to the immense radiation blocking the entrance, of course the Lamplight Caverns were built close to the Vault and could be an entrance." Rothchild explained

"And the other Vault?" Bren asked

"We have Vault 108, north near Canterbury Commons, it could have the device, but we are not too sure on that" Rothchild said to Bren and he uploaded all the map data to the Pipboy

"Alright, I'm heading out, I think Vault 108 will be my best bet" Bren said and he was about to leave when Rothchild stopped him

"Hold on, before you go, could you keep that ghoul here? He had prewar training that would be useful for the recruits" He explained and Bren nodded

"I will let him know to listen to everyone here, just don't hurt him ok" Bren said and Rothchild nodded

"That I can promise" He said and Bren and Butch continued outside where they met up with Charon

"So need me to follow you two?" Charon asked

"No, I want you to help out the recruits, you know some good fighting styles to help them out in the near future" Bren explained and Charon grumbled

"Charon, please listen to me" Bren said

"Oh don't worry I'm listening, and I will obey, though the contract doesn't say a thing about me liking the order" Charon grinned a bit and Bren as well

"Be careful out there, I would rather not lose my favorite owner so soon" Charon said and Bren nodded

"Don't Worry I won't die so easily" Bren said as he and Butch walked out of the Citadel and on wards to the North

The duo walked for hours, killing molerats along the way and soon after a pretty eventless hike they made it to the Entrance of Vault 108

"So ready Butch?" Bren asked

"Ready when you are" Butch said cracking his neck

They opened the wooden door and walked inside, now what surprised them was that the door was open. The second thing to surprise them was the amount of rust and grime that they could see inside the Vault

"Damn, the place went to Hell" Butch said as he followed Bren inside

"We need to find the Science Lab, if we head in there I could check the database for any information on the G.E.C.K." Bren explained to Butch, who seemed to agree with this sensible plan.

They walked around the dimly lit halls

"What happened?" Butch asked

"According to the Overseer, the vaults were meant to test humanity, but I have no idea what is going on around here" Bren said but then they heard something

"Gary?" The male Voice they heard

"Hey it's a person!" Butch said loudly and then they heard the man cry out, "Gary! Gaary!"

The man ran out and Bren could see him holding a baseball bat and he grinned

"Gary!" The man shouted and he swung, Butch ducked in Time and Bren fired a shot from his shotgun sending the man to the ground

"The fuck was his problem?!" Butch asked getting himself back up

"No idea, but we better be careful" Bren said and they continued on wards to the lab

"Hold up" Bren said quietly to Butch and he turned the corner and his eyes widened in horror and surprise. He saw three people, all identical

"Gary?" One said to another

"Gary Gary" The other replied and the Third nodded his head as if he understood them

"Butch, look, but be quiet" Bren whispered to Butch and he turned a corner and was surprised to see the trio of the men

"Butch, let me handle this" Bren said pulling out a frag grenade, and he pulled the pin and did an underhand toss which landed right in between them. The blast took out the trio and shook the area a bit. All that was left was a slight dent in the floor and some scorch marks around the spot they were in.

"Sheese and you tell me to be quiet" Butch said as they continued onwards and Bren saw what he was looking for, a Terminal, with it he could be able to hack the system and get some information.

"Butch cover me while I do this" Bren said as he typed away, it took him a few tries but he made it inside

"I'm in…now lets see….huh?" Bren said looking at the scene

(CORRUPTION DETECTED)

(ATTEMPT PARTIAL RECOVERY)

//'&'mpt #53:

Gary 53 is hostile toward all non-clones, as was /.e case with t.e previous 52 attempts. We may have to con'&der a mea.s of disposal of the prelexistin' Gary clones, as the r00ms are g3tting quite full.

A//empt #54:

Gary 54 ehibit5 no change in hostility toward non-clones. If anYThing/ he is even more hostile. Dr. 0n can attest to this, having b33n injured while emining Gary 54. Tomorrow we are goi^g to dispose 'f several of the Gary clones, wh1(h will leave room for many more a//3mpts.

(END SALVAGED DATA RECORD)

"Gary? Wait weren't they saying Gary at us?" Bren asked Butch turning away from his screen

"Yeah, I thought they mistook us for the guy" Butch said

"Maybe this is what is going on, this is a cloning lab. They must have cloned a man named Gary and this is what happened. According to this, one of the clones was aggressive towards non clones, and so was the next. Perhaps something went wrong and they over thrown everyone, I….get down" Bren pushed Butch down onto the floor and they crawled behind an overturned desk, Bren had to suppress a shout when he saw the skeleton that they were right next too.

Bren could hear the shuffling of foot steps and the sound of a man

"Gary?……Gary…." This one seemed to sense something as he looked over the terminal, he looked around the room and picked up a comb, Butch checked his pocket and realized he must have dropped his comb

"Oh Gaaaaary" The man said in an almost sing song voice, it pulled out from his side a device that looked like a knife that was a chainsaw instead of a knife, he turned it on and looked around the room, daring anyone on

"Shit, what do we do?" Butch whispered to Bren

"Stay here" Bren ordered and he got up and ran out of the area

"GARY!" The man shouted and he chased Bren out

Bren turned and could see this Gary running at him, this one was different from the others, he had the same features but this one had more muscles and his hair was slightly darker.

"Oh Gary, HAHAHAHAHA" Gary said as Bren went into another room, only to find it at a dead end, he realized why the man laughed, it was because he knew that Bren went into a corner

Bren turned from his corner and could see the Gary looking at him, he could see from the name tag it had the number 53 sewn on it

"So, you're the one who hates those not like you huh?" Bren asked and the Gary grinned in a way only a psycho killer would and nodded

"I didn't want to fight you, but you forced me to do it" Bren said drawing his shotgun from his side but then the Gary cried out "Gary!" And ran at Bren swinging the device which Bren had decided to call the ripper

Bren had narrowly avoided the swipe and he fired a shot from his shotgun, only to have it miss his target's head

"Gary, heh Gary" The Gary said sending a another swipe at Bren and this one drew blood, right from Bren's right shoulder, he fell to the ground clutching his shoulder in pain

"Oh Gary, gary gary Gary" Gary said what he expected was saying, "You lose" he was about to swing down onto Bren's head when he fell to the ground, the ripper (still on) land right beside Bren's head

Bren saw Butch standing right behind where the Gary was standing, in his hand was a bloodied Switch blade

"You ok buddy?" Butch asked helping Bren up

"Yeah, now I owe you one" Bren said taking a stimpack from his pack and he jabbed it into his shoulder. It would be able to speed up the healing process and make sure it doesn't become infected

"I need to check the terminal again" Bren said going into the terminal, he went back to typing

"Fuck!" Bren swore after about 10 minutes of typing

"What's wrong?" Butch asked

"According to the records….they never received a G.E.C.K. it was supposed to go to it, but it was transferred to Vault 87….fuck…." Bren slammed the terminal keyboard out of anger with his left hand and he clutched his shoulder that was in pain

"We better get out of here, find a place to camp for the night, and we head to Lamplight" Bren said to Butch and they walked to the vault entrance

"Hold on" Bren said imputing the code to shut the door

"What are you doing?" Butch asked and he could heard the door begin to Shut, Bren then fired a shot from his magnum onto the controls and he ran out just before the door could shut, he then shot the other control on the outside

"May the contents in that hell never been shown again" Bren said as they walked out. They had earned nothing; well they did earn something….the knowledge of how sick and twisted the people of Vault Tec really were….


	24. Rescue from Paradise

AN: Please note that now I am turning this story into a rated M fanfiction due to the lemons in the future and other mature subjects. Hey I rather not get banned by the site know what I'm saying? Enjoy.

Bren and Butch walked outside and were met by a group of raiders, they grinned as they saw the duo look around worried.

"Well, looks like we found a couple of scavengers, well boys what do we do to scavengers?" One of the raiders said to the others, which was six

"Duh, invite them to join our group?" One of them said and he was fired upon by the man's sawed off shotgun

"No, we capture them and torture them to death, so boys lets get the-"He was cut off by Bren firing his magnum in the head

"I don't think so" Bren said sighing, he already had enough problems

"Hey, he killed the boss!" One of them shouted looking at the corpse

"You will be next if you don't leave us alone" Bren said, he glared at the raiders and they looked at each other

"You know, this doesn't seem like a good fight for us" One of them said and the others nodded in agreement and ran off

"How many bullets did you have in your magnum?" Butch asked when the others ran off

"one more, good thing they didn't call our bluff, now if some raiders could see us going in, I would say that they could have a camp nearby" Bren explained to Butch and he nodded in agreement. It made a lot of sense to Butch and they looked around. What they found were some small cabins along side a make shift fire that was right in the middle. They could see some raider armor that was being sewn. This had to be the Raider camp

"Bingo" Bren said pointing at the campsite and they took it over, Bren scanned the area, no one was around and Butch took a look inside

"Hey Bren, I found some food and…."Butch was silent and Bren walked inside the Cabin and almost threw up

He saw a woman….or at least the corpse of a woman. She was naked and covered in a white coating, he could tell what it was, cum. Bren could see that she was beaten and raped. Bren figured that the raiders captured her and after using her, killed her with a baseball bat to the head. What a horrible way to hurt a woman.

"Fuck dude, fuck" Butch said coughing a bit. He tried to hold his stomach in, but Bren looked around the cabin and took a blanket and threw it over the woman. At least he would show some respect for the dead.

"Let's check out the other cabin" Bren said to Butch and he nodded in agreement as he took the food out of the cabin and checked out the other one. The other had four mattresses strewn about and they could tell it was lived in recently

"Right, let's make camp here. We will leave for lamplight tomorrow morning" Bren said to Butch and he nodded in agreement as they put some fuel to the fire that was already going.

The stars were high in the sky as they sat around the campfire

"So those are really stars huh?" Butch asked drinking some Nuka Cola with Bren

"Yeah, hard to believe that so many are out there, kinda makes you feel small huh" Bren said

"Now don't get all philosophical on me" Butch said shoving Bren a bit

"Sorry Butch" Bren replied chuckling

"So Bren, you remember those G.O.A.T. exams?" Butch asked

"Yeah, I remember was the Vault Chaplin….hated the job" Bren replied, he finished the bottle of Cola and tossed the bottle on the ground

"Yeah, stupid test said I was a hairdresser" Butch said and Bren laughed

"I know, let me tell you, I'm no hair dresser, I'm a barber, got it?" Butch asked and Bren nodded his head

"Miss the Vault?" Bren asked

"Not really" Butch said to Bren, he pulled out a comb and began to comb his hair

"You Serious? It was your home" Bren asked

"Sure, but it was a shitty home, good riddance" Butch said

"What ever you say" Bren said rolling his eyes.

Bren went to checking his Pipboy, he was able to map out a path to the Caverns and it would take about a half a day get to it. Of course not counting rests, and the random encounter that could happen. Bren prayed that if they had to stop it wouldn't be due to the fact they were attacked

"Well let's get some sleep" Bren said to Butch and they put out the fire and hit the hay.

The night was short and they awoke bright and early at 5:00 and after a quick breakfast of snack cakes and some instamash they were on their way.

It took them three hours to make it around the halfway point to the Caverns and they took the time to rest around the ruins of a building

"We are making some good time, eh Bren?" Butch asked sipping some water

"Yeah, and we didn't see any enemies which is good" Bren said and they smiled but then they heard the sound of shouting and they looked outside. They saw three Super Mutants fighting a man and three robots

"Hey we got to help him" Bren said to Butch and they armed their guns and ran out

One of the mutants had used a sledgehammer to smash a Protectron and the other Mr. Gutsy

"Oh no this is bad" The man said as the mutant stared into his eyes and ran at him. But the third robot which looked like a Dark Green Mr. Gutsy took a flame thrower and burned the mutant to a crisp

The other two mutants roared

"Tin Can become scrap!" One of them shouted but was cut off from Bren firing his magnum into its chest, then Butch firing three rounds into it as well, killing it. The third was shot by a plasma bolt and it clutched its arm in pain

"It burns!" The Mutant shouted and the Mr. Gutsy spoke

"It is gonna burn even more. Time to turn up the heat." The robot said and it burned the mutant alive

The robot then chimed out, "Another Day in this man's army, I shall now mourn my soldiers" He said and then remained silent

The man turned to Bren and Butch

"Thanks for the help, names Tinker Joe. I'm a traveler and merchant of fine robotics" He said and Bren shook his hand

"Names Bren and this is Butch. Sorry about your robots" Bren said looking at the robots who were now more scrap metal then automated machines of combat

"Its ok, say you wouldn't happen to be interested in this rare Mr. Gutsy. It is a Sergeant RL-3 used during the wars.

"Really, he seems a little…well…"Bren didn't know how to put it

"Free Spirited? Yeah, this particular model had been outfitted with a prototype soldier

Personality chip….making him just a tad unstable" Tinker Joe said to the two and they could see RL singing The Natural Anthem to himself

"He also seems to like those prewar songs as well" Tinker Joe added

"How much?" Bren asked

"1000 caps, course he had to like you before you can purchase him….pity too because you are the 135th person to ask to buy him and be refused" Tinker Joe explained

"I think I will talk to him" Bren said walking to the floating robot

"…..of the land of the freee, and the home of the braaave." RL sang and Bren tapped him on one of the robotic arms

"Um excuse me" Bren said to RL and the Robot turned and looked at Bren with the large optic scanner

"Hmm, interesting, you have the stature of a man. You seem to have something on your mind soldier, what do you need?" RL asked still having the optics right in Bren's face

"I was wondering if you want to follow me, if that's alright with you" Bren said to RL and the Robot seemed to think about it

"What is your goal?" RL asked

"What do you mean?" Bren asked

"What is it that you need me for, I wish to know" RL requested to Bren

"I want to help save the Wasteland, and your help would be valuable to me and my friend here" Bren explained

"Interesting, alright soldier, I will follow your commands. You may tell General Joe there I am transferring to your company" RL said and Bren went to Tinker Joe

"….and so then I tell her, that's no wrench you're holding, but it is valuable to me" Tinker Joe said to Butch and Butch chuckled

"Good one, oh hey Bren, so what did the flying tin can say?" Butch asked

"He said he would follow me…umm quick question though….why did he call you a-"Bren was cut off

"A General, yeah like I said the soldier personality, right, I will take those caps and head off, I need to find a way to get to Reno and restock" He said and he tipped his hat and walked off

"So Commander, what shall I call you?" RL asked

"Bren" Bren said, "And this is Butch" Bren said pointing to Butch

"Commander Bren, and Private Butch" RL said scanning and adding the faces into his memory

"I'm no private, damn robot" Butch said quietly as to not get shot by plasma or burned alive

"Right, lets keep going guys, we need to get to the Caverns" Bren said and they continued the trek through the Wasteland

Bren and Butch learned two things that hike. One, RL was a very good shot with the plasma rifle he had attached to his arm. And second, burning molerats smell like burning hair and dog crap at the same time.

"There's nothing I like better than making another poor bastard die for his country!" RL shouted after taking out his ninth molerat

"Bren, do you have any ideas how to shut off that personality?" Butch asked quietly

"Not a clue, but hey he is interesting to listen to" Bren said

"That's how we do things in the U.S. army! Hooah!" RL said

"Sir I am on the lookout" RL said scanning the area

"RL we should be near the caverns, keep on the lookout" Bren said and RL seemed to understand the order.

They saw the cave entrance and went inside. What they found surprised them. It was a large wall of metal and they saw a little kid with a combat helmet looking right at them from the wall

"Get out of here or I'll blow your fuckin head off" The kid shouted cocking a shotgun

"Sir should I fire at will?" RL asked Bren

"No RL" Bren said

"Look we are looking for Vault 87, we need to pass through" Bren explained

"No way, I ain't letting no fuckin Mungo get in Little Lamplight" The boy said, Bren didn't know what to say to the foul mouthed kid

"Hey kid, let us in or I will beat your ass to a pulp" Butch said annoyed at the boy, "Or don't you have the balls to fight me?" Butch asked

"Give it a shot, Mungo! You'll see plenty of my adult-sized balls, when I'm pissing on your grave!" The boy shouted and Bren groaned

"Look is there anyway I can show I'm a friend and you let me in?" Bren asked

"Hmm, alright Mungo tell you what, go to Paradise Falls and rescue the kids held captive there. Do that and I will let you in. Got it Mungo?" The boy asked

"I understand, which way?" Bren asked

"Head East from here, oh and do me a favor and shoot the first guy you see there, that will be entertaining to see you get blasted" The boy said laughing and the Trio went out

"So Commander we will be doing a search and rescue?" RL asked

"Yes RL, we need to head to Paradise Falls and rescue the Kids" Bren said

"Yeah, and once we get into those caverns, I'm gonna shove my foot so far that kids ass that I'm-" Butch was interrupted by Bren

"Calm down Butch, he is just trying to rattle you" Bren said and Butch sighed and nodded his head in agreement as they continued onwards east.

It took them an hour but they came to the large Mall that was now converted into a penned settlement

"Alright guys, now remember, we want to rescue the kids, but we do not, repeat, do not attack them." Bren explained

"I shall obey the order" RL said

"Understood" Butch said to Bren and they walked down the hill to the guard

"Hold up, you here for some slaves?" He asked

"Yeah, I am" Bren said playing off what he said

"You don't look like a rich guy, or someone who likes slaves" The man said looking at Bren

"Hey I got caps, I can afford this mercenary and robot" Bren said lying to the man

"Alright you can come in, but cause any trouble and you go into the pens" He said and he let them pass

They walked to the entrance but saw a man running off

"Yeah, I'm gonna make, I'm gonna make it, this is the greatest thrill of my life, I-" The man's head blew off and Butch yelped in surprised

"Heh, too bad he had the collar on" One of the slavers said out loud and kicked the body

Bren kept his stomach down and went through the entrance. He saw a bunch of slavers looking at him

"I here to purchase some children" Bren said to them

"Find Eulogy in his office" One of them said and he directed Bren to the building

"Let's go guys" Bren said and they walked inside the building

They could hear a man moaning and saying some things like, "That's it bitch, harder" and, "Use your tongue" and they turned the corner and saw an African American man in a red suit, getting a blow job from a woman in a pink dress, her skin was black, and her black hair cut short, she seemed to enjoy her job. Around her neck was a collar that Bren recognized as the same kind as the man who almost escaped

"Open wide" The man said and she removed her mouth from his cock and he stroked it, and shot a stream of cum into her awaiting mouth

"Um maybe I should go" Bren said having the man turn around

"So sorry about that" The man said zipping his pants. The woman had swallowed the contents and smiled. Another woman in an identical dress and collar, but with white skin and blond hair. She smiled

"Oh Eulogy baby, when can I have a turn?" She asked

"Clover, you can after I talk to these customers" the man said and she nodded

"My name is Eulogy Jones, and you must be here for some slaves, or are you here to become one" He chuckled at his terrible joke

"Names Bren, I am here for some slaves, children to be exact, have any lying around?" Bren asked

"Ah, children, good for spying and small tasks, but they grow to be stronger. A good investment. We have three children, Penny, cute girl, might get larger in some departments with any luck, and Sammy who seems bright will go for 500 caps each. Squirrel as he calls himself is a bright youngster and 500 is criminal. 1000 for him. That is a total of 2000 caps….you can afford it right?" Eulogy asked

"I'm taking the kids" Bren said sternly

"You don't have the money? Now isn't that a problem, let me guess you want to bully me, well I don't think Clover here likes it" Eulogy said and Clover drew a Chinese sword and glared at Bren

"Look we can work something out" Bren said looking around and he spied a chess board

"What about a wager" Bren suggested

"I'm listening" Eulogy said

"A game of chess, one round. If I win you give me the children free of charge, and take off their collars" Bren said

"And if I win?" Eulogy asked

"…you can take me as a slave" Bren said grimly and Eulogy laughed

"You suggest the game of kings, well I'm the king of the slaves. Tell you what, want to play double or nothing. I'm so sure I can win, I will even bet Clover against your friend and robot there" Eulogy said

"Why would I want her?" Bren asked

"She is tough, we brain washed her a couple months ago and we found he crazy in battle and in bed, she would be a useful help in any persons, ahem group as a fighter or well, you know" Eulogy explained and Bren turned to Butch

"Go ahead, show him how smart people from the Vault are" Butch said and Bren shook the slaver's hand

"Eulogy Jones, you have a bet" Bren said

"Clover, get the chess board, we are gonna give the slavers a bigger show then the time I let them all have fun with Crimson, oh what a day for you huh?" He asked the African girl who nodded smiling

"Right, we will do this publicly and you have my word, that I will keep a promise" Eulogy said, "I'm a slaver but even I have standards" He added and they walked out

"Everyone, I have an announcement. This man has issued me a challenge, one game of chess for the freedom of three kids, and my Clover, against the freedom of him and his friends." Eulogy announced and everyone cheered for Eulogy

Crimson set up the chess set on an overturned crate and Bren and Eulogy sat across from each other

"I will take black if you don't mind" Eulogy said grinning

"Funny, so shall we begin?" Bren asked making his first move

"We shall" Eulogy said making his move

The game continued for five minutes with no one giving an inch, Bren would take a piece and Eulogy would take a piece. It was neck and neck and everyone was silent as these two dueled in this game from all of time.

"Well Bren you are the first person to ever get this far against me" Eulogy said to Bren taking his queen, Bren was low on pieces but then he smiled

"Eulogy I have two words for you" Bren said

"And that would be?" Eulogy asked

"Check mate" Bren said setting his pawn on the end of the board, changing it into a queen which caught the king. Eulogy was caught up on destroying Bren that he failed to notice Bren's strategy to wait

"I win Eulogy and you remember the bargain, let the kids go" Bren said

"Fine fine, Boys I lost, let the kids out of the cage. Let them leave Paradise Falls" Eulogy ordered and they nodded and began to listen to the orders

"The kids will meet you outside of the gate" Eulogy "You are a smart man. Anyway Clover is yours, hold on" Eulogy said and he walked to the blond woman

"Clover, this is Bren, he is now my replacement, understand?" Eulogy asked her

"I understand" She said and she walked to Bren

"Hey there lover boy, is there anything I can do for you….or to you?" She asked giggling

"Umm, help me out on a mission would be nice. This is Butch and RL, friends of mine" Bren explained to the slave girl.

"I see, well I shall follow where ever you go, and if you need anything, _just ask_" She said, on the last words she winked and licked her lips and Bren blushed a bit.

They made it to the entrance where they saw the three kids having there collars removed

"Are you the Mungo who got us out?" The boy asked him, he seemed pretty brainy for his age

"I am, I was sent her by that kid with the shotgun to help you" Bren said to him

"McCready, didn't think he would send help. And a Mungo at that. We will go on ahead and tell him what happened. You are alright for a Mungo" He said and he and the others ran off into the direction of the Caverns

Bren smiled at this. He felt good to help the kids and soon he would be helping the Wasteland….dad would be proud of him.

AN: Well this is the last update for the year, and I made an even bigger one just for today. 2009 was a great year but what will await us next year in 2010. Well in any case stay tuned for more chapters and stories of my Wasteland Life. And like I say before Read and Review.

Thanks for following me this year. May Next year gain more readers and more chapters.

Bren Tenkage, 12-31-2009


	25. Into Vault 87

AN: Please note there will be a lemon in this chapter. Small one but still a lemon. To those who are offended, I'm sorry. To those not offended….well I got nothing to say. Enjoy.

Bren looked into the distance, and could see it was getting to be sunset; they would need to find a place to rest as Rick taught him that the Wasteland was most deadly at night.

"Guys we need to find some shelter" Bren said to the group

"Sir, my optic scanners detect a large shack about a half a click south east from here" RL said to Bren and Bren could see a large box shaped, shape out in the distance

"Thank you RL" Bren said

"Sir yes Sir, A pleasure to serve in this man's army" RL said and they made their hike to the shack.

As they continued onwards into the direction of the shape and Bren could soon make out more detail. It wasn't a shack, it was a house. And by the looks of it abandoned.

"Well guys looks like we found a place to sleep" Bren said and Butch yawned

"Yeah I could use some shut eye, I mean seriously we went through a lot" Butch said scratching himself

Bren stopped him from opening the door and he pulled out his magnum

"Hold on, let me check first, RL see anything around here?" Bren asked the floating robot

"Negative Sir. My scanners show no signs of anyone around the perimeter" RL said

"I see" Bren said and he opened the door. He scanned the area. It was a two story house and it was intact. It had no signs of raiders living inside it or else it would have a lot of blood and bodies around the place.

"Seems clear, alright guys head on in" Bren said and they walked inside

"So lover boy, I see you are smart. How did you ever get so smart and cute at the same time?" Clover asked the Blushing Bren

"Uhh, I lived in a Vault for a while. We had a good education, what is your story?" Bren asked the slave girl

"I….well funny I don't remember, say would you like me to give you a massage, or a song, or rather just do what you want to me?" Clover suggested and Bren's face was as red as a Brahmin's backside

"Umm, I rather we get some sleep, Butch find any beds?" Bren called out to Butch who checked the upper floor

"I found a king sized bed, and a child's bed. I think I will take the couch though. You can have the king sized Bed" Butch called out

"Right, Clover, you get the kid's bed. I hope you don't mind" Bren said

"Not at all, I will wake you up in the morning for breakfast" Clover said and with that she winked at Bren and took her small pack that she brought with her from Paradise Falls with her, upstairs. Butch walked down to Bren

"So Bren, when you gonna get it on with her?" Butch asked jabbing Bren with his elbow

"Umm, not really on my to do list" Bren said blushing

"Your kidding, you took on aliens, mutants, monsters, yet you can't tame a girl who looks like she got gang banged by 20 guys?" Butch asked Bren and all he could do was silently nod

"Bren….are you gay?" Butch asked and Bren was silent, he glared at Butch and raised his fist

"Kidding, yeesh so up tight these days, anyway I'm gonna hit the hay" Butch said lying on the couch, he didn't even bother to change his clothes as he rested on the ratty couch

"Sir, I shall power down for the night. I will be ready for combat in the morning" RL said and with that he shut down all but the most essential power functions

"Pleasant dreams" Bren said and he walked up stairs into the master bedroom and he plopped onto the bed. It felt good to finally sleep in a real bed and not a mattress on the ground

He didn't bother to change out of his uniform and soon sleep took him in

The night was silent throughout the house but it was the morning that became something out of the norm.

Bren awoke to a strange feeling and when he woke up he saw Clover stoking his cock. She had snuck into his room, unzipped his jumpsuit armor, and was now jerking him off.

"What the heck?" Bren asked still sleepy

"This is how I always do wake up calls" Clover said and with that she began to suck on his erect cock. Bren had never felt this feeling before. He had been with magazines that Jonas gave him back in the Vault, but a woman….never before

"Why are you doing this?" Bren asked but Clover wouldn't stop and Bren felt close to his climax

"I'm…gonna…"Bren tried to hold it back but Clover removed her mouth from his penis and began to stroke it quickly

"Damn it" Was all Bren could think as he released his load onto her face. Strings of white cum went across her face and she smiled

"Wonderful, just wonderful lover boy" Clover said as she took some of the cum with her fingers and ate some of it.

"Delicious" She said and she finished the rest, and began to suck on Bren's still erect member once again

"Stop please" Bren asked

"Oh I understand" Clover said and Bren breath a sigh of relief but it was short lived as took off her dress revealing her ample sized breasts, and shaven pussy

"You want my real goods now" She said and she straddled Bren

"Wait that's not what I meant" Bren said but Clover didn't listen as she lowered herself onto Bren's cock. She moaned a bit as it inserted itself into her.

"Oh god, that feels good" She moaned and she began to move up and down upon Bren, who now was moaning a bit too

"I want her to stop….but it feels so good" Bren thought, he began to moan a little louder and he felt himself burn up inside. This was his first time but Clover, She felt tight despite all of her experience

"Oh yes, that feels good, I'm so glad I can please you" Clover said kissing Bren on the lips, Bren felt close to his release once again but he tried to hold it in

"Clover, I….I'm gonna…." Bren felt really close, but he didn't want to, not inside her

"Go ahead lover boy, I'm all yours" Clover said and she picked up speed

She continued to fuck Bren and she moaned louder as Bren came inside of her

"Yes….that's it….oh yes" She came after the warm feeling of Bren's cum inside of her.

"That was perfect" She said getting off of Bren. Bren could see some cum dripping out of her pussy as she got her dress back on

"Call me again when you want more" She said blowing a kiss to Bren and all Bren could do was lie back on the bed wondering one thing, "What the fuck did I get myself into?"

Bren went back downstairs about 30 minutes later where Butch was munching on some Mac and cheese. Clover had stayed in her room. RL was up and running just floating around in case he was needed.

"Morning Bren, sleep well?" Butch asked

"Sorta" was all Bren could say as he pulled out a box of Frosted Sugar Bombs and began to munch on the dry cereal

"What do you mean?" Butch asked

"Uh Clover well…woke me up…in her own special way if you catch my drift" Bren said blushing

Butch was silent but then he put Bren into a headlock and gave him a noogie playfully

"Get out of here, you and Clover, dude you are awesome" Butch said

"Uh yeah, she kinda forced herself onto me" Bren said and Butch laughed

"You always did have a way with the ladies" Butch said and Bren finished the box of cereal. He also noted the promise of a Captain Cosmos, decoder ring inside every box….no ring. Go figure.

Clover walked downstairs

"Lover boy, ready to go?" Clover asked and Bren nodded, he grabbed his stuff and walked out off the door, his group behind him.

They hiked about a mile and half until they made it back into the cave where they met up with the punk ass kid known as McCready

"Well I'll be damned Mungo, you came through after all. You can come in but if you cause any trouble I'm gonna have to plug you full of fuckin lead" McCready said to the group and with that the gate opened up

"The Gate has been breached, march men to victory and history" RL said and Bren sighed, he almost regretted getting RL but help is help he supposed as they went past the gate

"Happy Birthday Sticky" They heard a group of kids say, then one of them said," Now get out, you're a Mungo now, go into Big Town"

"Ah man….fine, I don't need ya anymore" The 16 year old boy with the Party Hat on said, and with that he walked out of the Cave

"Hey you're the Mungo who saved my sister" A voice said and the Group turned to a small Black boy who was holding the hands of the girl Penny who Bren had rescued

"That's your sister?" Butch asked

"Yeah names Joseph, thanks. You know for a bunch of Mungos you seem to treat us nicely, if you need any help, just ask" The boy said

"Is there a way into Vault 87?" Bren asked, he prayed there was a way inside

"Yeah, but you won't like it" Joseph said

"What do you mean?" Bren asked

"Its full of large green monsters. We had another way in but the terminal to get inside, well…." Joseph trailed off

"What's wrong, can't you fix it?" Bren asked

"No, its not that, the computer can work, but the password was lost. No one wrote it down so we just forgot….kinda silly once I think about it" Joseph said to Bren

"Let me check it out, maybe I can break the code" Bren said

"Right follow me" Joseph said and him and Penny ran off. The group trailed behind him.

They went into the main cavern and Bren was amazed by the pathways that went all over the area. There were many kids all over the place, running around, sleeping, eating, and pushing each other.

"Great we landed in Bratvill" Butch said annoyed looking at the kids who looked at them

"Mungo, Mungo, smells like Dungo" One of them called out

"Oh that's it, they are so fucking dead" Butch said and RL gave him a mild shock

"Private Butch, attacking Civilians, that is one of the most dishonorable things to do. You get one demerit" RL said to Butch who grumbled

"Thank you RL" Bren said not turning around

They came to a large door and Terminal where Joseph turned on the terminal

"All yours Mungo" He said and Bren went to work hacking the system

"Hmm, a little tough but, yeah type that in…and bingo" Bren said typing on the keys, he smiled as he unlocked the door

"Alright guys, we better be careful….which is why I want to make an important decision…..Butch, I want you to take RL and Clover back to the base." Bren said to him

"But why?" Butch asked

"….I have to do this on my own, I can't risk you in here. I can't live with myself if I lose another friend…..please understand" Bren said

"Bren….alright I will do it. You better get back for the big show at the Project. Got it fellow Wasteland Snake?" Butch asked and Bren pounded his knuckles with Butch

"Alright Lover boy, but when you come back I will be sure to make you happy" Clover said to Bren and with that she kissed him on the lips making Penny and Joseph go, "Eww"

"Old war-bots never die; they just rust away, I will await for your return commander" RL said

"Guys take care" Bren said and he watched them walk away

"Good luck Mungo" Joseph said

"I know, I'm gonna need it" Bren said, but before he went into the Vault he turned to Joseph

"Hey I been wondering….what is a Mungo?" Bren asked

"You are" Joseph said and Bren sighed, that wasn't an answer but he had to remind himself these were kids they were talking about.

He took a deep breath and walked into the Vault.

At first glance he could see it went into disrepair. But he could also see blood stains and bones around the room he was in.

"Shit….I better be careful" Bren thought as he snuck around. He could hear two super mutants talking to each other from the stair case up where Bren was headed. He stopped to listen to them

"We almost out of green stuff. Others go to find some. We must have more of us to stop the humans!" The First one said to the other, it was holding a hunting rifle

"Need to find more humans then...make them like us." The other said, he had a ripper on his side but Bren couldn't see the mutant

"Stupid Fox say men will come to us one day. To take green stuff." The first replied in an almost worried way

"Let them come to us! We'll take them apart! Then when they weak, we put them in green stuff!" The second said laughing; the laugh was raspy and dark.

"Ha ha ha, yes! More of them mean more of us soon." The first said grinning

"More of us if green stuff work. It makes many mistakes. We dump bodies in cave too many times." The Second said and Bren was wondering what they meant in the conversation

"Green stuff don't work only because men we take weak. We wait for strong men...they make good soldiers." The First said

"Ha ha ha! Yes! Strong soldiers to smash the humans for good!" The Second laughed and the first turned around and was face to face with Bren

"Hum-"He was cut off by Bren firing his magnum right into the mutants face

The second ran out in a rage and revved the ripper

"Found you!" It called out and swung at Bren

"Fuck" Bren said dodging the swipes but then he felt a stinging pain. The ripper got his face, a long cut ran from his left ear to his chin.

"DAMN YOU!" Bren shouted and he shot the mutants leg with the magnum causing it to fall to the ground. Bren took his shotgun and aimed at the mutants face

"Wait I-"was all it could say as he got a spray of combat grade, shotgun ammo right in the face

Bren felt his face. The wound wasn't deep but it would leave a scar most likely. He took a stimpack and injected it into his face. He then took some large bandage and covered the wound.

"Time to continue" Bren said to himself and he walked through the corridors of the next area

"What the hell were they doing here?" Bren thought as he looked at the rooms with glass windows, he could see dead humans….at least what he thought were humans in each room. And with each passing room he felt sicker to his stomach

"Hello….hello can anyone hear me?" A mutant's voice called out. It sounded like it was on an intercom. It also didn't sound as stupid or dark as the other mutants

Bren walked further in and saw a Super Mutant wearing what were the remains of a Vault 87 Jumpsuit.

"Umm?" Bren didn't know what to say to this mutant

"Please don't be scared of me, I promise I won't hurt you like my brothers" the mutant said to Bren

"Umm Ok, uh do you have a name?" Bren asked

"I have long forgotten my name, but I now called myself Fawkes. I think I read it in a book somewhere…." He said

"Names Bren and you seem a little smart for a super mutant" Bren said

"Heavens don't call me that, I prefer to call us Meta Humans, we were human before once you think about" Fawkes said

"Sorry, so judging by your situation, I'm guessing they thought you were too smart" Bren said

"Finally someone smart to talk too, you can even understand the irony of my predicament, now I'm sure you are looking for the G.E.C.K. am I right?" Fawkes asked

"How did you know?" Bren asked

"Why else would you come here, not only do I know where it is, but if you help me out, I will retrieve it for you" Fawkes said

"What makes you think I can't get it?" Bren asked

"Can your body survive a lot of radiation?" Fawkes asked and Bren figured that the area where the G.E.C.K. was being stored, was in fact highly irradiated

"Alright, tell me, how do I free you?" Bren asked

"Find the emergency door release mechanism and activate it." Fawkes said and he pointed in the direction of another hallway

"I won't be long" Bren said and he ran off

"Good Kid, good Kid" Fawkes thought as he watched Bren go and rescue him

Bren made it into another room and he saw a Super Mutant sleeping on the ground, with that Bren took steady aim with his shotgun and killed the mutant with one shot in the sleeping face

He then got to work typing on the computer

"Alright lets see, emergency door release" Bren said to himself and with a few clicks on the keyboard he activate the device and he could hear the sound of a mild explosion and the opening of a door

He ran back to Fawkes who walked out and gave Bren a big bear hug

"THANK YOU, I CAN FEEL THE FREEDOM!!" Fawkes shouted crushing Bren's vertebrae

"Your….wel….come…." was all Bren was able to squeeze out thanks to the bear hug, Fawkes let go after he noticed that he was killing Bren

"Sorry about that, I get emotional like that. Come we must hurry, stay behind me" Fawkes said and they continued further into the Vault

They soon came up to a Mutant with a super sledge and it looked Surprised

"Fox (Fawkes) you left your cell, and brought us a human, how wonderful" The mutant said but then Fawkes let out a roar and punched the face of the mutant. The mutant died and Fawkes grabbed the super sledge

"Sorry you had to see that, I can't help it being a Meta Human" Fawkes said to Bren

"It is alright" Bren said, he then thought for a moment and while they were walking Bren spoke up

"How did you get so smart?" Bren asked

"I don't know, maybe I was smart in my previous life, that I can not remember, but my earliest memory is awaking and speaking more how you say….fluently. They called me a failure and put me in the cell. I used the terminal inside to further my mind. I had access to every book in the database. Oddly enough no access to my records which must have been put somewhere else.

"Interesting" Bren said, he was fascinated by this mutant, or as he called himself Meta Human. Despite his appearance, he was a nice guy. It was true; you can't judge a book by its cover.

Fawkes tore a path of destruction against his former brothers while on the way to the G.E.C.K. all Bren could do was watch in awe as the brutal styles of the Super Sledge made short work of the mutants.

It wasn't long before they made it to a new room. Fawkes stopped Bren in his tracks

"Wait here, I will not be long" Fawkes said walking onwards into the Irradiated corridors. Bren just looked around the area while waiting and about five minutes later Fawkes returned with a large briefcase

"I have found it my friend" Fawkes said handing Bren the G.E.C.K.

"Thanks" Bren said

"But now this is where we must part" Fawkes said

"But why?" Bren asked, Fawkes was a good guy

"If people saw you with me, it wouldn't look good. I'm sorry" Fawkes said and Bren nodded and walked off back in the direction he came. Fawkes stayed behind for some reason but when Bren came into the next room he heard the sound of a small device dropping onto the floor and a beeping

"What the-"Was all Bren could say when a blinding flash and sound rang out and he fell to the ground.

He felt woozy and could see Colonel Autumn along with some Enclave soldiers clad in power armor only with electric coils on the shoulders looking at him.

"So will he be alright?" Autumn asked one of the soldiers

"Yes sir, he will pass out shortly and be ready for transport" the solider said

"Good, have your men take the G.E.C.K. to my Vertibird, and make sure our guest is comfortable on the way hah ha" Autumn said to the men

"Fuck…." Bren thought before he blacked out


	26. Taking Back Project Purity

AN: Time to introduce a new character, thank you Rommel9 for his information and ideas to help me make him. Now then, enjoy the epic conclusion to my Wasteland Life…..thank you all for following this fanfiction. Please stay tuned for more stories from the Wasteland, as this series isn't over….just this Arc…. Honestly this took me over three hours to type. I hope you enjoy this work….honestly I really hope you enjoy it.

Bren awoke in a strange place. He looked around; it was a small room with a locker that he could see across from him. He still had his armor but his weapons must have been stripped from him. He saw Colonel Autumn looking right at him.

"It is about time you woke up" He said

Bren tried to move but he couldn't, he could see he was in some sort of containment cell which prevented his movements

"Don't even try; they can hold a super mutant in place. Now then you are probably wondering where you are" Autumn said to Bren

"No I' m wondering how you survived that irradiated chamber" Bren said

"A Rad-X that the Enclave has been developing, works like a charm. Pity your father didn't have it. Now then tell me, what is the code to activate the purifier" He demanded to Bren

"Like I would know" Bren said to Autumn, he then spat at him out of spite

The Colonel wiped the spit off his face with his leather gloves, he glared at Bren

"Now Boy, I'm being Civil, and I won't ask again, what is the code to project purity?" He asked, his tone was darker and he wasn't fucking around

"Fine, the code is 7-0-4" Bren said making up a code on the spot

"Alright I will check" Autumn said and he walked to a nearby speaker

"Autumn here, the code is 7-0-4, repeat 7-0-4" He said to the person on the other line

"Copy that 7-0-4, one of the officers will confirm….negative we lost another one" The man on the other line said and Bren smirked

"That's it, I was through with being nice but now I'm forced to use more personal methods of interrogation" He said pulling out a 10mm pistol and he was about to shoot Bren in the leg when a voice came on the intercom

"Colonel I need you right now" The voice said, Bren could recognize his voice from the radios all over the Wasteland, it was "President" John Henry Eden

"Not now sir" Autumn said to what looked like a blue camera lenses on the wall

"Colonel…" Eden said in an almost disappointed tone

"Fine, wait here, I will be back to finish the interrogation" Autumn said annoyed, he left the room with Bren alone

"Sorry about that Bren, The Colonel has been under a lot of stress lately" Eden said to Bren

"You know my name?" Bren asked the Lenses

"But off course, you are the son of the Esteemed Scientist James. The Lone Wander by some of the rumors in the Wasteland. You made quite a name of yourself." Eden said, he didn't seem mad at all against Bren, if anything he sounded like an old friend who just met him for the first time in years

"I would like you to come to my office to meet face to face. I will release the restraints for you" He said and at these words Bren fell to the ground as the floating restraints deactivated

"You will find your possessions in the locker ahead of you. I will be awaiting" Eden said and Bren went into the locker and found his shotgun, magnum, and pack of supplies and ammo

"What is his angle?" Bren thought as he left the holding cell only to met by an officer

"Hey you shouldn't be out here" He said pulling out his plasma pistol and aiming it at Bren

"Hey I was told to meet Eden, now do you want to make him angry?" Bren asked

"I…hold on" The officer said and he went to a nearby lenses

"Um Mr. President, Lieutenant Williams here, I have a man who claims he is going to see you" He said

"I didn't authorize you to speak on this line" Eden said

"Yes I know but this man claims to-"Williams was interrupted by Eden

"Yes he is, now let our friend pass and report to the barracks for your demotion" Eden said

"I….yes sir" Williams said defeated, he turned to Bren

"Alright you may pass" Williams said to Bren and he ran off to the Barracks

"I'm sorry about that, please hold on for a moment, I will call you an escort" Eden said and Bren could hear over the intercoms Eden

"Would Commander Autumn please report to the holding cells for an escort. And to everyone in Raven Rock, please allow our guest from Vault 101 free passage to my office, that is all" Eden said and Bren waited for a moment, and soon he saw an Enclave solider in a different kind of power armor walk to him. This armor was smoothed and the helmet was bull like. What Bren didn't know was that it was Hell Fire power armor. On his back was a plasma Rifle, and on his side a plasma pistol along with three plasma grenades on his utility belt

The man removed his helmet to reveal a man about age 40, his hair was a dark black, his face full of pride and hope. He smiled at Bren

"My name is Commander Rommel Autumns, you must be Bren" He said shaking Bren's hand

"Autumns, does that make you…" Bren was about to finish when Rommel replied

"Yes, Brother of Augustus Autumn, he is my older Brother. Come we must not keep the President waiting" Rommel said to Bren and he donned his helmet and they continued into the base

"Welcome to Raven rock, home of the Enclave" Rommel said almost as if he was giving a tour

"Yeah… umm quick question, what are you going to do with the purifier?" Bren asked, he didn't know whether to trust this man or not

"…The purifier was your father's legacy, I'm aware, I'm also aware of your involvement. The Enclave wants to restore America to its Former Glory, and to do it we need a fresh supply of water. I figure Eden wants us to control it so people will look up to the Enclave rather then despise it. Then again I can understand why people hate the Enclave" He added with a sigh

"I see" Bren said, he still didn't know what to do but then the intercom fired up when they went to the cafeteria

"Attention, this is Colonel Autumns, disregard President Eden's previous order, find and kill the Dweller from Vault 101, that is an order" Colonel Autumn said, and Bren turned to Rommel who held up his gun

"Damn it" Bren said being prepared to be shot down by him

"Get down" He ordered and when Bren did Rommel fired on a soldier who had his sights on Bren

"Why did you do that?" Bren asked pretty much confused

"Unlike these soldiers in Raven Rock, I am loyal to Eden, he ordered me to Escort you, I will do as followed" He said

"Come on lets go before more come" Rommel said peering around the corner to check for more soldiers

"Its clear come on" He said and Bren followed him into the next level

"There he is" A Soldier said looking at Bren as they came to the next level

"No he isn't" Rommel said firing his pistol on the soldier and Bren was impressed

"Good shot" Bren said

"43 years in a military family will do that to you" Rommel said as they continued further into the base

They met with some resistant's but it didn't stop the military skills of Rommel from keeping Bren safe from the Enclave soldiers who were more loyal to his Brother

It wasn't long before they came to large room where two soldiers were shot down by some Sentry Bots

"Thank you Commander for at least being Loyal to me" Eden said to Rommel who smiled

"You may come in if you like" Eden said

"Sir, it will be an Honor" Rommel said to the lenses on the wall and the door opened

Bren looked around and he couldn't figure out where Eden was, all he could see was a large machine

"Head up the stairs if you please" Eden said from above and Bren and Rommel went up stairs and they came face to face with a large screen with a single line in the middle of it

"Hello" The screen said and the line shown a blip to indicate it was showing the sound

"Where is President Eden?" Rommel asked

"No, this is it, I get it now" Bren said

"What do you mean?" Rommel asked

"This is Eden, he is a computer, that explains everything" Bren said

"You are correct my good man, Commander what you see before you is in fact your president" The computer said, it was in fact President Eden

"Eden….what is your story?" Bren asked, he was curious as to the origin of this device

"Where to begin, was I am in fact an AI based on a pre-War ZAX supercomputer and I have been loaded with data about American history, past American presidents, etc. My personality is based on an amalgam of the personalities of all of the past Presidents of the United States. I find I am mostly Gorge Washington, Tomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt if I do say so myself" Eden explained

"So how many people know your secret?" Bren asked

"Well not counting you two, that would be the Late Autumn Senior, also know as Rommel's father. As well as Colonel Autumn who I now realize isn't as loyal as he should be" Eden said, his tone seemed to have remorse in it

"But I digress, I am President nevertheless and I wish to make America a better place, despite my….lack of formal appearances" Eden said chuckling a bit from his speaker

"But there is no America, it was destroyed by the wars" Bren said trying to reason with the machine

"That's a bit of a bleak outlook, don't you think?" Eden said, "Now I know that America is having a crisis but I have a plan to restore this great Country back to the way it was before the wars began" Eden said and Bren sighed in defeat on that point

"So why did you call me" Bren said cutting to the chase so to speak

"Why I have called you is of grave importance. As you may be well aware of, the Wasteland is infested with mutations, what I will present to you is a specially Modified FEV virus that can be inserted into the module of the Purifier" Eden explained and as he finished a vial of a mysterious substance appeared from the module of the system

"This FEV will be put into the water and make it so anything that is mutated die. In doing so will keep the Wasteland Pure and it was grow stronger" Eden explained

"But…." Bren didn't know what to say to this. This would wipe out countless lives…. He realized Eden meant well, but he was wrong.

"Eden, why were you designed?" Bren asked

"I had originally been created to serve as a monitoring system for the Raven Rock military base and soon I had become self aware and created my own personality, why do you ask?" Eden asked

"And how can you be president if you were not designed for it? You said yourself that you had only been programmed as a monitoring system" Bren asked

"I….I became president because I was designed to be perfect" Eden said, somewhat flustered by the comment

"But that becomes a paradox, if you were designed to be perfect, why would you have altered yourself, that reasoning is circular and thus fallacious" Bren said to Eden, his logic seemed to puzzle Eden but Rommel he thought about and he seemed to come to terms with this. He may have been loyal to Eden, but he wasn't blindly loyal like the other soldiers

"I….well….you see….." Eden didn't know what to say to Bren

"Eden, I think you should shut down, I think its time to end this" Bren said kindly, he respected Eden for his dream (if super computers can dream) but it isn't Eden's choice to fix the Wasteland, it was the people's decision

"Bren….you are correct. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways….Commander I have one final order" Eden said to Rommel

"Sir?" Rommel asked

"Take Bren back to the Citadel, Tell the Brotherhood that your brother had sent a large force to the Jefferson Memorial….tell them to stop him." Eden said

"Sir, I will do as you say" Rommel said saluting his President

"After that, you are free to choose your path….I'm sorry for leading you astray….Bren I can not let you leave without the FEV container, but do what you will with it. I will not live to see your choice. All I know is that you would be a better president then me….. Destruction Code Activated, 420-03-20-9…..good bye everyone" Eden said and he began to sing a little song as his voice began to gravel, "Daisy daisy…I'm….crazy….for…y…ou……" His voice trailed off and he shutdown forever.

Sirens blared around the base and Bren grabbed the FEV vial and him and Rommel ran out of the area and could see Enclave soldiers getting mowed down by Sentry Bots

"Thank god for those" Rommel said as they walked passed the sentry bots who said "Have a nice day" And they made it out of the base just as it exploded

They then saw an impressive sight, a super mutant with a large Gatling gun that shot lasers out of it instead of bullets, it was taking down Enclave troopers like they were radroaches.

"Fawkes!!" Bren shouted and the mutant turned Bren

"Bren, I found you. Look at this impressive device" Fawkes said holding up the Gatling laser gun, Rommel didn't know whether to pinch himself at the sight of the mutant, or to shoot it

"Know it?" Rommel asked

"Bren is that a friend of yours?" Fawkes asked

"Yes, his name is Rommel" Bren said to the mutant

"Hello, my name is Fawkes a pleasure to meet a human who doesn't shoot me on sight" Fawkes said to the slightly confused Enclave soldier

"Umm yeah" Rommel said to Fawkes

"Fawkes….would you like to help me out. I could use your muscle and brain on this one" Bren asked

"Bren, you had saved me when I was in need, I am truly in debt to you my friend, yes I will follow you. Let us go and show them the power of us Meta Humans" Fawkes said and Bren shook the large hand of Fawkes

The trio made their way across the Wasteland and they took down Enclave soldiers who had escaped Raven Rock. It wasn't long before they made it to the Super Duper Mart where they were greeted by everyone (minus Charon who was at the Citadel)

"Bren, my god your back….and it's a fucking mutant" Jericho said drawing his assault rifle

"Wait he is with us" Bren said and Jericho stood down

"Guys, we need to head to the Citadel they are gonna need our help" Bren said

"What do you mean?" Butch asked

"They are in control of the G.E.C.K. and Project Purity, they are going to need our help to take it back" Rommel said to them

"Who is this square?" Clover asked looking at the power armored Man

"This is Rommel, he helped me in the Enclave's base" Bren explained

"Whatever, as long as he can shoot gun, I'm happy" Jericho said

"Sir what is your course of action?" RL asked

"We prepare and move out as soon as we can" Bren said and he went into the supply cases and pulled out weapons and supplies and tossed them to the others

"Rommel check this out" Bren said pulling out the Novasurge and handed it to Rommel

"This looks like a prototype plasma pistol…hmm looks like it could do some real damage" Rommel said examining it

"You can keep it if you like" Bren said, having no experience with energy weapons he had no idea how to use them

"Thanks Bren" Rommel said

Butch had outfitted himself with some combat armor provided by Jericho, Clover had changed (right in front of everyone without any modesty by the way) into some recon armor, also provided by Jericho. Everyone had resupplied on Ammo and Bren led them out of the Base.

It took only a few hours to make it back to the Citadel where they were met with some resistance thanks to the guards, but with some explanation about Fawkes and Rommel they were permitted to pass. Out in the courtyard where it was noon, Bren could see Charon sparing with an African American woman in recon armor, they shown powerful moves against each other and it looked like it would be a draw when Bren called out to Charon

"Charon, I'm back" Bren shouted and Charon turned his head just in time to get a kick right in the gut and got knocked to the ground

"Owww" Charon groaned and the woman turned to Bren

"Can it be?" The woman asked and she looked at Bren

"Do I know you?" Bren asked

"Forgive me, my name is Star Paladin Cross, I worked with your father….sorry about your loss….I worked to protect him during the time he worked on the project but I think to honor his wishes and join you on your quest" She said

"But how did you know it was me?" Bren asked

"You look like your father when he was your age" Cross said smiling

"Listen you may want to see Elder Lyons, they may want your insight" Cross said and she walked off to go into her power armor

Bren walked into the lab where he saw Sarah Lyons and many Brotherhood members talking with Elder Lyons

"Look according to our scouts Raven Rock was destroyed, we should attack them now" Sarah said to her father

"Sarah we can not go into open war. We have far too many troops scattered to do this" Lyons said

"But we have to do this or else we will lose our only chance" Sarah pleaded

"Excuse me" Bren said and they turned to him

"I have a message from President Eden" Bren said and Lyons walked to Bren

"President Eden?" He asked

"Former President" Rommel said and he removed his helmet

"We met with him and he told us to give you a message before he died….he realizes what he did was wrong, and he wants us to retake project purity before Colonel Autumns takes it" Bren explained

"But the project hasn't worked, without a G.E.C.K. it is useless" Lyons said

"that's the thing, they have it, they already installed it, they just need the password and they have control of it" Rommel explained and Lyon's eyes widened

"Sarah, take Lyons pride and aid Bren in retaking the Memorial. Rothchild is it ready yet?" Lyons asked the scribe

"What….well no, the robot has yet to be prepared for simulation, the readings indicate it will work but I'm not too sure" He said

"No matter, you must activate it by morning. We need it for the final assault" Lyons said

"As you wish" Rothchild said and he got to working typing

"Bren, I thank you for this information….your father would be proud of you" Lyons said

"Listen, Eden told me to insert this modified FEV virus into the purifier, it is supposed to kill anything mutated" Bren explained and he handed the device to him

"Thank you, you are an asset to humanity" Lyons said and he walked off

Sarah walked to Bren

"Bren, I have to say you are a good man….which is why I wish to extend an invitation into Lyons Pride" She said

"…I'm sorry, I already have a group" Bren said turning to his friends and Lyon smiled

" I understand, but at least allow me to provide you with armor" She said

"Thank you" Bren said and they went into the barracks to be outfitted with power armor

Bren's power armor was a lighter kind to allow more freedom of movements, and for good measure he painted it blue and wrote on the front and back painted in Yellow Letter, "101" on them

Butch, Clover, and Jericho gained stronger Recon armor, while Charon stuck with his own personal kind. RL had been given a fine tune up to allow his combat abilities to be enhanced. Fawkes being an oversized "Meta Human" wasn't given anything, but they did at least make him some shoulder pads and arm and leg coverings out of some old power armor.

All and All, this group was ready for combat.

This Group…."The Protectors"….

Night came soon and everyone went to sleep in preparations of the final battle. Bren was up and he was looking at the stars from the walk ways on the gate. It was a full moon that night and he found it hard to believe that only about two months had passed since he left Vault 101…so many things had happened

"Ready for the final battle eh?" a mysterious voice said and Bren came turned to see the stranger who had saved him about a week ago

"Its you" Bren said

"You are an interesting man….your story is one of many that the Wasteland holds….and yet it is one of the most important…." He said

"Who are you?" Bren asked

"No one….no one important…..Bren, you must be careful. It will be you who will decide the fate of the Wasteland….." The stranger said

"I understand" Bren said and he saw the stranger jump off the gate and when Bren ran to see where he landed, he was gone

"….I understand" Bren said to himself and he went down to get some sleep.

Morning Came and Bren had put himself into his power armor. He was armed with his combat shotgun, the magnum, a combat knife on the side, grenades, and plenty of medical supplies. He was ready for combat against the Enclave.

Everyone in the group had prepared themselves and awaited at the middle of the Circle where Sarah was addressing Both, the Lyons Pride and Bren's group

"Today, we go down into history as the people who saved the Wasteland, we will show the Enclave the power of the brotherhood. Today we will fight as an army. What I see within our army is not only Brotherhood but people of walks of life. Mutants, Ghouls, Vault Dwellers, Raider….today we put aside our differences and today we show the Enclave who is truly the might of the Capital Wasteland" Sarah spoke with a voice like a general and Everyone cheered

"Everyone lets go out and show those bastards who is the best" Sarah shouted and they marched out, when they left Bren was astounded, he saw the giant humanoid robot walk. It was set out early that morning

This was Liberty Prime and it was ready to fight

"VOICE MODULE ONLINE... AUDIO FUNCTIONALITY TEST... INITIALIZED. DESIGNATION: LIBERTY PRIME. MISSION:THE LIBERATION OF ANCHORAGE,ALASKA FROM THE RED CHINESE. PRIMARY TARGETS: ANY AND ALL RED CHINESE INVADERS. EMERGENCY COMMUNIST ACQUISITION DIRECTIVE: IMMEDIATE" It said in the booming Robotic voice and it began to march against the Enclave

"Charge!" Lyons shouted and they followed the Robot until they came to a large energy barrier

"OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. COMPOSITION: TITANIUM ALLOY SUPPLEMENTED BY PHOTONIC RESONANCE BARRIER. PROBABILITY OF MISSION HINDRANCE... ZERO PERCENT!!" Liberty Prime called out and it grabbed the ends of the barrier and let the energy flow into its body and the shield was deactivated

"Fire!" Sarah shouted and everyone open fired on the Enclave soldiers who were stationed there at the time.

They never stood a chance from the combined efforts of the Pride and the Protectors and they came to the next gate

"OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. COMPOSITION: TITANIUM ALLOY SUPPLEMENTED BY ENHANCED PHOTONIC RESONANCE BARRIER. ESTABLISHED STRATAGEM INADEQUATE! REVISED STRATAGEM: INITIATE PHOTONIC RESONANCE OVERCHARGE."" It called out and it once again took down the barrier but it was shot at by some Vertibirds

"EMBRACE DEMOCRACY, OR YOU WILL BE ERADICATED." It shouted at the Vertibirds but they didn't not listen (or understand the comment) and it seemed to anger the 40 foot robot

"ENGAGING RED CHINESE AGGRESSORS." It said and from its eyes shot out some lasers with tore down the wings of the vertibird, crashing them

"COMMUNISM IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF FAILURE." It shouted

"Commander, give that soldier a raise" RL said

"I think I should" Bren said to the military robot and they continued to the last gate which didn't seem to annoy the robot

"SCANNING DEFENSES... EXPLOITING!" It shouted and it took down the final barrier and the army open fired on the Enclave soldiers, they never stood a chance against the might of the group and they made it to the Memorial.

"Bren head into the project, we will handle the rest of the Enclave" Sarah told Bren

"Understood" Bren said and he and his group ran into the memorial

"Get them" An Enclave soldier shouted to his others but Fawkes was one step ahead of them

"Get a load of this" Fawkes shouted and he sprayed laser fired onto the soldiers decimating them.

"Come we me must" Fawkes said and they continued onwards only to be stopped by four soldiers

"Ohhhh boys" Clover said in a sexy voice removing her helmet, the soldiers stopped to turn to her as she began to remove her armor….the soldiers didn't seem to notice Charon getting behind them. One soldier walked to Clover but then his head came clean off by her blade

"Fuck, she is crazy" One of then shouted but then his two friends were shot down by Charon

"Wait we can talk this out" The last begged but then he was burned alive by RL

"Never let the enemy beg for forgiveness" RL said and they continued into the Rotunda where they were met by Colonel Autumns

"Bren…and Rommel…my own baby Brother who would have thought" He said, he was annoyed as can be from this situation

"Its over Colonel, you lost" Bren said

"He is right Brother, give up" Rommel said

"Never, I worked too hard to lose now, this project is mine, and I plan to keep it this way" Autumn said and he pulled out his pistol but Bren was faster and he shot Autumn in the heart with his magnum

"No….fuck" Autumn said and he fell backwards into the irradiated water that filled the basin under the purifier

The reign of Colonel Autumns had ended that day.

Sarah came inside

"Bren we did, we won" Sarah said but then a voice came over the intercom, it was Dr. Li

"Bren, are you there?" She asked over the intercom, she seemed flustered and worried about something

"Bren here, what do you need?" Bren asked

"Listen, I've been monitoring the project, and something happened to the device, you got to activate the project manually or that memorial is gonna blow sky high" Li said

"What?!" Bren shouted

"You need to go into the radiation and activate it by punching in the code…..I'm sorry but there is no other choice" Li said, " I'm sorry…."

Sarah turned to Bren

"Bren….I…." She was speechless

"Sarah, take care of everyone" Bren said turning to the large room, that was filled with radiation

"Bren you can't!!" She pleaded

"I have too…..I have too" Bren said, he had tears in his eyes and he slowly marched into the chamber and the door sealed behind him. The door into the console room opened and Bren felt the radiation fill his body

Everyone watched in horror as Bren walked slowly to the console….Bren's body was on fire as his body endured the immense radiation

Bren knew the code….he always knew the code since his father died

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. "

—Revelation 21:6

2-1-6, his mothers favorite passage….

Bren pressed 2 and clutched his stomach

He then pressed 1 and felt his vision get cloudy and he fell to the ground

"BREN!" Sarah shouted but Bren used all of his strength to pulled himself back up and press 6 and he heard the machine whirl with the activation.

He fell back to the ground and looked up

"Dad….Rick….Mom…..I did it…..I did it…." He thought as he smiled and closed his eyes for one final time…..

A White Light engulfed him and he lost all thought

"_And so it was that the Lone Wanderer, Bren ventured forth from Vault 101 intent on discovering the fate of a father who has once sacrificed the future of humanity for that of his own child._

_The Capital Wasteland proved a cruel inhospitable place, but the Lone Wanderer refused to surrender to the vices that had claimed so many others. The values passed on from father to child – selflessness, compassion, honor – guided this noble soul through countless trials and triumphs._

_But it was not until the end of this long road that the Lone Wanderer learned the true meaning of that greatest of virtues – sacrifice. Stepping into the irradiated control chamber of Project Purity, the child followed the example of the father sacrificing life itself for the greater good of mankind._

_Thankfully, when selected by the sinister president to be his instrument of annihilation, the Wanderer refused. Humanity with all its flaws was deemed worthy of preservation. The waters of life flowed at last – free and pure, for any and all. The Capital Wasteland at long last was saved._

_So ends the story of the Lone Wanderer, who stepped through the great door of Vault 101 and into the annals of legend. But the tale of humanity will never come to a close, for the struggle of survival is a war without end, and war – war never changes."_

…. "Hey they are still breathing, get him and Sarah into the medical bay, I think they will alright" a voice said….


	27. Waking up and Heading out

Bren looked around; all he could see was a white room where he saw his Dad on a terminal. Bren was in his Vault Uniform and he was confused

"Dad?" Bren asked

"Oh hey Son, I saw what you did, I'm proud of you" James said to Bren looking up from his terminal

"Dad, I'm glad I could help the Wasteland….oh my head, where am I?" Bren asked clutching his head

"Bren, you are going to have to understand, it isn't where you think you are" James said, Bren didn't seem to understand

"What are you talking about?" Bren asked confused

"Son, I'm going to need you to wake up, it isn't your time to die yet" James said to Bren getting up and putting his hand on Bren's shoulder

"What do you mean?" Bren asked

"Wake up Bren" James said and Bren was even more confused

"Wake up please" James pleaded and Bren's vision went cloudy and he opened his eyes, he turned to see Butch looking over him, Clover was at his side

"Butch….Clover…..?" Bren asked softly

Bren was inside the Citadel's hospital, he seemed to have survived the radiation

"Guys, He is waking up!" Butch shouted and Clover hugged Bren, she seemed happy as she held him tight.

"Where am I?" Bren asked

Butch turned to Bren

"You been out for two weeks, something happened in the project, they were able to get you out of there. Sarah is still out cold" Butch explained

Bren clutched his head

"God my head" Bren said, he looked around, he seemed to be hooked up to an IV, his clothes were removed, save for his shirt and boxers. He seemed to be alright

"Where is everyone?" Bren asked

"After they took you in, Rommel, Cross, Jericho, and Fawkes went back to the Base. RL, Charon, me and Clover stayed behind in case you were alright" Butch explained to Bren, he handed Bren a glass of water, only the water wasn't cloudy

"Is that what I think it is?" Bren asked

"That's right, pure clean water, they call it Aqua Pura, must be Latin or something I don't know" Butch said, and Bren drank the water and smiled. It tasted even better then the water in the Vault.

Elder Lyons came into the Room and Smiled

"Bren my boy, you did it. Thanks to you we have clean water" He said to Bren

"I can see, and the Enclave?" Bren asked, he wanted to know what happened in the last two weeks while he was out

"They are being held back. Thanks to your efforts at Raven Rock, along with Liberty Prime, we now have a greater foothold in the Wasteland" Lyons explained

"That's good to know" Bren said he struggled to get up

"Rest Bren, fact your survived is nothing short of a miracle. My daughter is still in a coma" Lyons said

"I suppose you are right" Bren said and Lyons walked off

"Hey I'm gonna tell RL and Charon the news ok" Butch said walking off and Clover remained behind

"Anything I can do for you lover boy?" Clover asked Bren

"I could use something to drink" Bren suggested

"Right away" Clover said and she walked off for a moment and came back with three bottles of Aqua Pura

"Here you go lover boy, anything else I can do?" Clover asked

"I really don't have anything you could do for me, thank you" Bren said drinking one of the bottles of fresh water

"I see….perhaps I could make you feel better" Clover said and she slipped her hand under Bren's bed sheets and went into his boxers

"Hey I…." Bren blushed as he got harder from her touch, she seemed to have magic hands as she began to stroke him

"Here, lay back and let me do the work" Clover said letting go, she went to the end of the bed and went under the sheets, under the covers she pulled Bren's boxers down and she began to suck on his cock. She noted that Bren was a little bigger then her old masters, at 8 inches it was a healthy cock

"Clover….oh god that feels good" Bren said, he felt wrong doing this but it felt so good to him

He could feel the tightness of Clover's throat as she began to deep throat the cock, he could hear here gagging on it but she seemed happy doing it as she continued to deep throat the cock

"Clover, I'm gonna…..uhh" Bren groaned as he released his load, it went down her throat and she stopped sucking as she noticed that Bren's hard on became softer

She pulled Bren's boxers back up then came out from under the covers and wiped away a little cum from the right side of her lips, and then she kissed Bren on the lips

"Let me know if you want more" She said walking off

"Right…." Bren said to himself….that Clover, what goes through her mind he wondered.

Sleep soon took him and after three days of rest he was given leave. Bren felt good to be out of the bed, and he put back on his Vault 101, Combat Armor.

He was outside of the Citadel with Charon, Butch, RL, and Clover

"So Bren, where do we go now?" Charon asked

Bren thought for a moment and smiled

"We will head back to the Base and decide what to do when we get there, besides the rest don't know I'm still alive" Bren said and they nodded in agreement

They began their trek onwards to the Super Duper Mart. Bren smiled as he saw Caravans carrying supplies of water to who knows where. It was a great thing to see.

They decided to take a longer route, near a junkyard due to sightings of Yao Guai in the normal pathway back to the super duper mart. It would take longer then normal but because Bren got out of the medical wing, they had to play safe.

After about an hour and a half of hiking they came to the junk yard

"Sir, remain on the look out" RL said scanning the area. Clover held her sword up, Butch had his switch blade, and Charon with his shotgun. Bren kept his magnum up and all of a sudden they heard something. It was the scream of pain.

"Over there" Bren said and they ran to the noise. What they saw was four bodies of raiders and a body of a man in a leather outfit along with a sawed off shotgun at his side. The Dog seemed to look like a Blue Heeler and his eyes were strange, his right eye was brown while his left was blue. He looked at Bren and seemed to smile as his tail wagged

"Well isn't this something, a dog who won't attack us" Charon said

Bren got on his knees and petted the dog

"You seem like a nice dog, was that your master?" Bren asked pointing at the dead man who wore the leather jacket

The dog's tail went down and it whined

"I'm sorry to hear about that" Bren said petting the dog

"Would you like to come with us?" Bren asked

The dog barked with approval

"Right, now we need a good name for you" Bren said and he thought for a moment

"Rover?" Butch suggested

"K-9?" RL suggested

"Cutie?" Clover suggested

"Dogshit?" Charon suggested and everyone turned to him

"What?" Charon asked

"How about….Dog Meat" Bren said and the dog barked again with approval

"Alright Dog Meat, lets go" Bren said and Dog Meat jumped onto Bren and licked his face

"Alright boy, down" Bren said and Dog Meat got off

"Come on guys lets get going before the sun gets down" Bren said and they continued onwards. Soon they made it to the Super Duper Mart where they saw Jericho talking to a Merchant who had a Brahmin full of Aqua Pura

"Alright so that will be 1000 caps for the water, alright here you go my good sir" Jericho said handing the man the caps. The Merchant tipped his hat and his Mercenary began to take the bottles off the Brahmin and Fawkes began to load them inside the store

"So that Mutant is friendly?" The merchant asked pointing at Fawkes

"Damn straight, you think that's weird, we got an Enclave Commander living here as well, along with two robots, a slave, two Vault Dwellers, a ghoul, and me a former raider" Jericho said chuckling and he could see Bren's group walk back to the Base

"Well I be damned, Bren you're alright!" Jericho shouted but before he could walk to him, Fawkes ran at Bren and gave him a big bear hug, once again crushing Bren

"OH BREN YOU ARE ALRIGHT IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU NOT HURT!!" Fawkes shouted crushing Bren's spine

"Help….me……god…..help…..me" Bren moaned and Fawkes let go

"Forgive me, I missed you. After you fell in the purifier they got you out. Me and the others came back here and helped with Caravans. I'm happy to see you are all right" Fawkes said and Dog Meat growled at the Meta Human

"And who is this little fellow?" Fawkes asked as Dog Meat barked at him

"Dog Meat down, he is a friend" Bren said to Dog Meat

He seemed to understand and he licked Fawkes' hand

"I forgive you. You went through a lot, I can tell. Come Bren the others await for your arrival" Fawkes said and they went inside

"Everyone, Bren is back!" Fawkes shouted and everyone inside looked up, they could see Bren and they smiled

"Bren you are alright" Rommel said shaking his hand, " My god what you did was either the bravest or the most stupid thing in the history of the world" He said

"I know right, but it worked" Bren said

"I'm relieved to know that you are alright" Cross said to Bren, she smiled at Bren and Clover glared at the woman

"Anyway Kid, the Wasteland has been doing better after the Aqua Pura has been given away. Things have been doing much better" Jericho explained

"So what now Boss?" Butch asked

"Yeah Lover Boy? What do we do now?" Clover asked

Bren thought for a moment and he smiled

"We Celebrate!" Bren shouted and everyone cheered.

It was a great party, it had beer and vodka. Bren drank a lot of Nuka Cola and Aqua Pura. Clover got so drunk she thought everyone (Excluding Fawkes and Dog Meat) was Bren

Butch became so drunk he spouted Philosophical words for example he said to an Equally drunk Jericho, " You ever get the feeling that our life is really the work of some other man on the other side of the world, and all our choices were really made by some punk teenager?"

"Yeah if a teenager is controlling me, then that would make this what….some kind of game?" Jericho replied to that

Fawkes danced to some old music that Three Dogs played and he break danced (he broke a lot of shelving with his dance style)

RL being a robot, couldn't drink so he talked to the Protectron who guarded the Super Duper Mart

"…and so then I shot the raider after he said that America was dead" RL said finishing a story

"Are you an employee with Jason Fox?" X asked

"You aren't fun to talk to you know that right?" RL asked

"I must patrol the Super Duper Mart now" X said and he walked off to patrol the mart

Charon didn't do anything, he just leaned against a wall while he watched Cross and Rommel do the Waltz together when Three Dogs played a slower song

"So do this often?" Rommel asked Cross

"Not really, you?" Cross asked

" Enclave has a regulation against this" Rommel said twirling Cross

"They prevent cute guys like you from doing this kind of stuff?" Cross asked

"You think I'm cute?" Rommel asked blushing and Bren smirked, then again he couldn't talk thanks to Clover

"Yeah, I think you are cute" Cross said kissing his cheek and walking off to get something to eat. Butch and Jericho wolf whistled at them and Bren and Charon chuckled

The party went on to the morning and everyone was asleep, except for Charon and RL

"Crazy party eh RL?" Charon asked

"Agreed, then again I think these soldiers earned this relaxation period" RL said to Charon and he nodded in agreement. Bren went through a lot. Charon watched Bren mature. First he was just kid from the Vault, but now he was a man who saved the Wasteland.

Bren walked out of the back room which had all the mattresses, he walked passed Charon

"Getting some air?" Charon asked

Bren nodded and he stepped outside and he saw sitting on an old car, the Mysterious Stranger who was smoking a cigarette

"Its you" Bren said

"Bren it has been a while. I had a feeling you would survive" The stranger said

"What do you want?" Bren asked

"I came to tell you something. Fate has allowed you to survive for a reason. You are in fact apart of a greater thing. Three People in this hell hole of a world had been chosen for a mission. Two of them had their roles fulfilled. It is your turn this time" The Stranger said

"But I started the purifier, I destroyed Raven Rock. I saved the Wasteland" Bren said, he didn't understand what the Stranger meant

"Bren, you don't understand. The Wasteland isn't the only place in the world that needs your help." The Stranger said taking a deep breath and letting out a lot of smoke

"Who are you?" Bren asked

The Stranger got off the Car and looked at Bren straight into his eyes

"I am not the only Stranger in this world. Before I took this coat, hat, and magnum….I had a name. That name has long been forgotten." The Stranger said and he turned around to look at the sunrise

"Bren, you must leave the Wasteland. Others need your help….I can hear their voices…..I predict you will struggle in your adventure but you will learn many things about yourself and your wisdom." The Stranger's words were cryptic and confusing but Bren understood, he would be needed somewhere else.

"Thank you" Bren said but the Stranger pointed his gun behind him and he fired

Bren turned around and he could see in the sunlight the body of a Raider who had tried to sneak up on Bren with a knife

"How did you…." Bren turned around but the Stranger was gone,"….know?"

Bren went back into the Super Mart and went back to Sleep. After about Five hours of sleep he was woken up by Butch

"Wake up, were wasting the day" Butch said and Bren got up

"Right" Bren said getting up. The group had a breakfast of cooked Mirelurk meat

"What's Mirelurk?" Bren asked

"Think Crab people" Jericho said munching on the meat

"Good job Rommel" Jericho said

"Eh, I always had my way in the kitchen, thanks to this cooking area it is perfect for me to work in" Rommel said, Bren enjoyed the slightly irradiated food with great vigor. Fawkes ate his raw due to his mutant nature

"Hey guys look what I found outside" Butch said handing Bren a piece of paper

"What's it say?" Rommel asked

Bren read out loud the note which said:

"Greetings from Point Lookout!

Straight from the land of warm beaches and luscious wetlands comes the Duchess Gambit, the finest vessel on the east coast, piloted by Tobar the Ferryman.

And to the hungry masses of the Capital Wasteland, he brings the hearty punga fruit! A delicious and nutritious addition to your daily meal, its tangy taste is the most refreshing meal in the world.

Find the punga fruit at your local merchant now, or buy straight from the source at the Duchess Gambit, now docked south of the Citadel.

SPECIAL BONUS!  
Hey, adventurers! Itching to find Point Lookout's treasures for yourself? Talk with Tobar to book passage back to this land of mystery!"

"I heard about that Punga fruit, supposed to be pretty good" Jericho said

"Maybe I will check it out" Bren said going into the stash of caps they had. Thanks to Jericho turning the Super Duper Mart into a trading Hub, the flow of caps was going well.

"Charon, you and RL will escort me to the dock ok" Bren said while he got some ammo for his shotgun and magnum, he was itching for a little adventure it seemed like a good time too

"Take care Bren" Butch said

"Yes, we will take care of the Base in your Absence" Fawkes said

"Stay out of trouble guys" Bren said and they made their way to the Citadel and they could see the Steam Boat that was the Duchess Gambit, they could see a woman talking to a man who Bren assumed was Tobar

The woman walked off and turned to Bren

"Sir, oh sir could you spare a moment?" the woman said to Bren

"Cap for your thoughts?" Bren asked, he wanted to hear what the woman had to say

"My name is Catherine, my daughter Nadine went into Point Lookout, and….she never came back" Catherine said

"I'm sorry to hear about that" Bren said, he understood what it was like to lose a family member, "Is their anything I could do for you?" Bren asked

"You can, if you go into Point Lookout, please look out for a woman with bright Orange hair, tell her I'm looking for her" Catherine said

"I understand" Bren said and he walked to Tobar

"Are you Tobar?" Bren asked

"Sure is, welcome to the Duchess Gambit. Want to buy a ticket, I only do single trips so leave your robot and ghoul friend behind" Tobar said to Bren

"Right how much for a Ticket into Point Lookout?" Bren asked

"1000 caps, and that's for a single trip, a guy has to eat you know" Tobar said and Bren handed him the bag of caps

"Right hop on" Tobar said

He went to the helm and Bren could hear the steam whistle out and they began to move

"Take Care Commander, may you have may confirmed kills" RL shouted to Bren as the ship shoved off

"What he said" Charon shouted along with Bren

"Tell the Others I said goodbye, see ya later" Bren shouted and soon they were off

It took Bren a month to make it to Point Lookout but he was impressed by the sight of the new part of the Country. It was a new world to explore. And Soon he would learn one thing….locals don't like strangers.

AN: That's right, I'm in Point Look Out. Also the Month thing, it really takes a month off of your game time. Remember Read and Review, more reviews I get the more likely I will update faster. See ya then.


	28. A Fortune and Moonshine

AN: Once again I must introduce another new character to the mix. Thank you once again Rommel for the inspiration of this character. Also while I do Point Look, I mean no offense to anyone from the South. Some Dialogue may be deemed a little insulting to those who are from the South or Maryland, but the game made the Swamp Folk this way and I'm just building off it, thanks for reading.

Bren stepped off the ferry and Tobar smiled at this new explorer

"Right, I'm gonna stay here for about a week or so. You take care, oh and do be careful of the locals….some of them don't take too kindly to strangers" Tobar warned and he laughed a bit heading into his private quarters

"I see" Bren said to himself. He looked around. The air was different, unlike the Wasteland the air here was a little mustier, but it had a more natural smell to it. Almost Oaky, if Bren knew what Oaky was.

He took a few steps further on the dock and could see a large metal wheel right in the distance

"Well I be damned" Bren thought, he recognized it from the Children Book, Vault Boy goes to the Fair. It was a terrible read but Bren could recognize the structure as a Ferris wheel.

"This must have been an old park or something" Bren said out loud but then he heard the sound of a woman laughing

"Hello?" Bren asked around and he heard the sound of the woman, she sounded strange, as her voice was in an odd tone. A Gypsy as one would call her, but like before Bren didn't know what a Gypsy was

"Come boy, please step to Madame Panada's booth so I may get a look of you" The woman said and Bren walked to the strange woman who got a look at Bren

"Ah a traveler, Tobar has brought a smart and strong looking one. Perhaps for a fee of 5 caps Madam Panada will tell your fortune" Panada said to Bren

"Well, I suppose, could you tell me about this place?" Bren asked

"Of course, Madam Panada will tell you about this place. Before the fires fell, this was a Board Walk, people like me and travelers like you would flock this place. But now fate has dealt a cruel hand to the path of this land as people stopped coming, and soon like a flower without water, it wilted to nothing" Panada explained, her accent was deep and heavy and Bren nodded his head in thought

"I see, so the bombs never fell, Point Lookout was forgotten" Bren said and Panada nodded her head

"Of course a few of us keep to traditions that those who kept this place alive had, now would you like Madam Panada to tell you your fortune?" Panada asked politely

"I suppose madam" Bren said handing her the five caps, she stepped into her back room and motioned for Bren to follow her

Bren looked around and shrugged his shoulders and he walked to the back room which was dressed like a prewar fortune telling tent, Bren could see a crystal ball in the middle of a circular table

"Come sit, ease your mind and worries, Madam Panada will tell you your future" She said and Bren sat across from her

She closed her eyes and she took a deep breath

"I am gaining a sight into the crystal, what does to say to me….what is this? Ah I see many hardships along your path, you have faced many foes and lost many treasures, but you have found many friends who are loyal to you" Panada said, Bren was in awe, she was right about his past. Was she for real?

"I see in your future more hardship, many choices will be given to you but to what choices they could be….I….." She was about to finish when the crystal cracked

"Whoa!" Bren exclaimed jumping back; Panada motioned for him to sit back down

"Madam Panada never seen such a fortune….I could not see the end of the vision, the Crystal cracked….perhaps some tarot cards will shine light upon this dark future" Panada said and she went further back and came back with a deck of strange cards

"These cards were past down from my family to me, the magic will tell me your fate and future" she said shuffling

She sat three cards face down and turned over the first card on the right

The Chariot

"The chariot Upright, a journey has been lain in front of you, now is time to walk the path you were given, but be warned, old foes may walk the path as well" Panada explained and Bren nodded

She then turned over the card in the middle

Justice

"Justice reversed, you have been cheated, things have been taken from you. You have lost valuable things within your life. Some things can be lost, but memories can help the pain" Panada explained and Bren nodded his head again.

She turned over the last card and she was surprised at this last card

The Wheel of Fortune

"The Wheel of Fortune, upright. You have a destiny to fulfill, you will be tested on numerous occasions, but even I can not foresee your final choice….I'm sorry" She said and Bren smiled

"Thank you madam, I'm sorry to have taken a lot of your time" Bren said politely

"Madam Panada is pleased with your politeness" She said shuffling the cards but then a card fell out of the deck and landed face up on the table.

The Star

"The Star?" Bren asked looking at the card

"The Star, upright….hope for the future, may this be a good omen" Panada said as she took the card and put it back into the deck.

Bren stepped out and smiled

"I guess it is official, I'm meant for something….but what?" Bren thought as he walked out into more open area little aware that a small lanky man with a shovel was following him

"So this is a tree huh?" Bren said to himself, he looked at the green plant and was fascinated by the fact that he can finally see a real tree, unlike the other trees that were burned to cinders.

"Interesting" Bren said touching the leaves

"Huh?" Bren thought as he looked at another tree, only this one had dolls in its branches. It looked creepy

"What the heck?" Bren thought taking a doll from the tree, he looked it over, judging by the stitching, and work, this doll must have been made by someone with clumsy hands, he even could see some blood stains, showing evidence of this theory

"This is very od-" He fell to the ground after feeling a blow to the back by a blunt object, he turned around and saw a lanky man in overalls and bad teeth and scruffy hair, Bren had a feeling this man wasn't the smartest men around

"I got you, you get down now!" The man cried out, his accent reminded Bren of the late Colonel Autumn and Rommel, Southern

Bren was hit in the chest by the back end of the shovel and he coughed up some blood

"Heh heh, say your prayers!" The man cried out and back slammed Bren in the head knocking him out

"Better take him to Cletus, he will know what to do" The man said dragging Bren along the ground.

Bren awoke and looked around, it looked like he was in a large shack, a gas lamp light up the room and Bren struggled to get up in which he couldn't.

He was hog tied and on the ground, and a hulking man with an arm like a club then a human looked at him. In his right hand which was human at least, he held an axe. His overalls, axe, and bits of his scruffy hair had red spots on them and Bren's eyes widened in horror

"Please don't hurt me, I mean you no harm!" Bren exclaimed

"You came on my property, I don't take too kindly to outsiders on my property" The man said in a low Southern tone, he glared at Bren

"I'm sorry I didn't know, I'm not from around here" Bren explained and the man thought for a moment

"Really now, you mean to tell me you ain't here to cause trouble?" The man asked, his tone wasn't different

"Yeah, look untie me and I will prove to you that I'm friendly" Bren said

"And have you run off? No that ain't gonna happen" The man said and he cracked his neck to prepare for the beheading

Bren panicked and noticed a device, it was moonshine still and by the looks of it, it seemed to be in shambles, Bren remembered from history that during the prohibition Era during the prewar times, the Government banned Alcohol, so people made stills to make moonshine.

"Wait, is that still working?" Bren asked quickly

The man seemed to forget he was about to kill Bren and turned to it

"Fraid not, been three moons since it broke, my clan ain't had any moonshine since then" The man said sadly

"I'm good with fixing stuff, let me take a look, I promise I won't run off" Bren said, he prayed that the man would listen to reason

"You would do that for us? The Catcher Clan would be grateful for that stranger" The man said

"Zeke get over here, untie this man for me" The man called out the window and the same man who attacked Bren walked inside and grimaced at Bren

"Cletus you sure, I saw him on our property" Zeke said to the man who was named Cletus

"Do or else I chop your arm off a feed it to the monsters" Cletus said angrily and Zeke gulped and proceeded to untie Bren

"Thank you, my name is Bren just so you know" Bren said and Cletus smiled

"A Pleasure to meet you, remember our deal" Cletus said licking his lips, he could taste the fresh Catcher Moonshine right then

Bren walked to the moonshine still and he began to look at the parts

"Hmm, well no wonder it won't work, the heating system is shot….damn it" Bren said taking his head out

"I need three fusion batteries, those things give off so much heat it would work like a heating coil" Bren explained

"Uh…." Cletus didn't know how to reply

"Umm, I need the batteries so they heat the still in place of the broken heat system in the still" Bren explained

"Oh, I get it, Zeke head to Haley, get three of those batteries" Cletus said to Zeke and he ran out

Bren then continued to remove the heating device to create room for the batteries; the combined heat should be enough to boil the alcohol. He then altered the wires to work with the batteries. It took a little jury rigging and luck but he was able to make it work with his lack of skills and tools.

Zeke came back with the batteries and handed them to Bren

"Thank you Zeke" Bren said installing the batteries into the still and he shut the hatch

"Alright lets see if this works" Bren said and he turned on the still which began to heat up, ready for the ingredients

"You did it, you did it, this calls for a celebration, CATCHER CLAN IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE" Cletus called out and out of the woods people began to pop out of wood work and they cheered

"Bren lets have a celebration, feel free to stay, you are friend of the Catcher clan" Cletus said and Bren walked out to see the folks dancing to a man playing the fiddle. He could see people cooking stuff over the fire, the Sun was beginning to set in the distance and Bren smiled.

"So this is a Party to them huh" Bren thought and then he saw another person, unlike the others who had a few deformities and scratchy hair, this one had slightly curly hair, his body was normal, slightly pudgy. His face wasn't deformed or strange, if anything if Bren saw him in the Wasteland he would have thought he was a normal 15 year old.

He walked to Bren

"Come with me, I want to talk to you" He said to Bren quietly and he walked off, Bren followed him. The others who were singing and dancing failed to Notice them.

The duo walked about 10 meters away from the cabin and Bren could see in the distance the Ferris wheel, so he wasn't too far away

"Who are you? And why don't you look like-"Bren was interrupted

"Like a freak, don't know, just born that way I guess, I heard another kid from the Trapper clan was born like me as well" The boy said, his voice was clear and southern, but he didn't sound like a fool.

"Uh sorry" Bren said rubbing the back of his head

"Its ok, it doesn't hurt" The boy said, he extended his arm out to Bren

"Names Alex, yours?" the boy asked

"Bren" Bren said shaking Alex's hand

"Right, listen you shouldn't have come here. You were lucky to make my father happy or else you would have ended up like Ryan" Alex said

"What happened?" Bren asked

"Well he took some of my father's moonshine and my dad took his axe and chopped off his arm, he lived and can still play the fiddle well but you don't ever want to make my dad angry" Alex explained and he shivered at the thought

"Yikes…..wait how does a one armed man play a fiddle?" Bren asked

"With a lot of trouble, but he manages" Alex said and both laughed

"Come on we better head back before they notice we are gone" Alex said and they went back to the cabin where outside everyone was drinking (beer and whisky bought from merchants that came by) singing, dancing and eating

"Come on try the punga fruit" Alex said handing Bren the strange fruit, it looked like a bunch of pods put together but he took a bite and tasted it

"Wow, tangy" Bren said finishing the fruit. Not only did it taste good but his body felt stronger, like a burden was lifted from him, almost like the time he had some rad away for some of the radiation he gained over his time in the Capital Wasteland.

Cletus pat Bren on the back

"Like I said, you are welcome here, and that includes our property" Cletus said to Bren

"Thanks, you guys seem like a bunch of good people" Bren said

"We Swamp Folk have our own rules; however not all other Clans will be the same with us. But as long as you stay in our property you will be safe" Cletus explained

"Thanks again" Bren said but then they heard an explosion, everyone stopped the party to look into the distance, Bren could see in the light of the setting sun a mansion on a large hill.

"What happened?" Bren asked

"Tribal's….they must have attack the mansion" Alex said to Bren

"Huh?" Bren asked

"They are a group of people, a man lives in the mansion, maybe you should help him" Alex suggested

"Right, hey uh Cletus can you give me my stuff, I kinda need it" Bren said

"Zeke get his stuff" Cletus said to Zeke who was eating

"But I'm eating" Zeke whined and Cletus glared at him

"On it!" Zeke said running into the cabin and handing Bren his weapons and pack

"I'm heading out, thanks for the food, I'll be back soon" Bren said walking in the light of the sunset and making his way to the hill.


	29. Local Flavor and Walking with Spirits

AN: To those who read on, I know that you can't blow up a gas tank and have it explode unless you have tracers. Still I like to use some movie physics LOL. Enjoy

Bren ran up the hill to the large mansion and he could tell this place has been around for a long time.

"Well I better see what's going on" Bren thought and he stepped in just as he saw a Ghoul in a White Business Suit and glasses just do an over the should throw on a man in strange clothing. One of the two dogs that Bren could see tore the man's throat out.

The ghoul turned to Bren

"Get in here, before those cocksuckers kill you too" The ghoul demanded and Bren ran towards him

"What the heck is going on?" Bren asked

"Fucking Tribal's that's what, I can't hold them all off at once, give me a hand and I will explain everything" The ghoul explained

"Right, names Bren" Bren said

"Desmond, now head on into the other room, I will keep watch over my security cameras" Desmond explained and Bren nodded as he ran to the next room which he assumed was a Breakfast Nook

"Now where are they?" Bren wondered but his train of thought was stopped when he heard an explosion and two men in the same kind of garb stepped out of the ceiling in the Dining room next door.

"Found one!" One of them said and he ran at Bren with his axe, Bren quickly fired his magnum into the man's chest sending him to the ground. His friend pulled out a small knife and threw it at Bren grazing his cheek

"Damn it" Bren said firing two shots on the man taking him down. He then wiped away the blood and continued onwards into the mansion

"Bren you got two more coming your way" Desmond said over a speaker and Bren prepared himself and he saw two more tribal's both with axes

He took aim and killed the first one and the second one ran at Bren and swung his axe to the other side and nearly beheaded Bren, but he was able to get onto the ground and shoot the guy in the face.

"Impressive" Desmond said over the mike

"Desmond what am I looking for?" Bren asked

"Something to cave in the hole in the ceiling, oh yeah I left some bottles of gas around the area, try shooting them so they explode" Desmond explained and Bren figured that could work

Bren continued onwards and Bren felt something wrong when he went past a room, the door crept open and Bren barely had time to dodge from a vertical swing from an axe from a large tribal man

"You will feed the punga" The man said in the low tone, he smacked Bren to the ground and pulled out his axe from the ground

"Die!" The tribal said and Bren quickly slammed his foot into the man's lower leg forcing him to the drop the axe

Bren quickly got up and kicked the man in the chest

"Bring it" Bren said, his gun and magnum were on the ground and he wouldn't be able to grab them in time in these close quarters

The tribal cracked his neck and knuckles then sent a flurry of punches at Bren but Bren was able to do a well placed kick in the leg

He then got close and pulled out his combat knife from his back and he jabbed it right into the man's neck killing him.

"Now that was impressive, I haven't seen fucking moves like that since 2148 when I faced a super mutant who had a super sledge and all I had was a dull knife, but I digress, hurry onwards" Desmond said and Bren grabbed his shotgun and magnum and continued onwards when he reached a new room and Bren could see five tribal's next to some gas

"Get him, he will make fine food for the punga" A woman shouted and Bren quickly fired at the gas tank and an explosion rang out and killed the five and the room caved in just as Bren ran out

"Alright head on back, I need you to take care of another fucking problem" Desmond said and Bren ran back to the main hall

"Alright Bren head on to the other side of the house and do the same thing, they have another damn hole in the roof" Desmond said annoyed

"On it" Bren said as he ran to the other side of the house, he was about to cross the hall to the next room when he heard a cracking and he looked down

"Son of a-"He couldn't finish his curse as the ground below him fell and he fell to the basement two stories down. It was a good thing three mattresses were piled under the landing zone for some reason or it would have been the end of this story.

"Ohhh my back" Bren moaned and he looked around. He saw enough wine to make Jericho happy for two years. This must have been the mansion's wine cellar.

He got off the mattress and checked himself; he would be sore but nothing serious, thank god for stimpacks

Bren walked up the stairs only to be met by a tribal with two knives, one in each hand and he had a crazed look in his eye. He might have been on psycho, Bren remembered fighting a raider with Rommel and Fawkes on the way back to the Citadel from Raven Rock, a raider who injected himself with the strange drug and he fought harder then before

"DIE!!!" The tribal said literally foaming at the mouth, swinging wildly at Bren with the knives

"Shit" Bren swore as he barely had time to dodge the man's fast swings

Bren had his back against the wall as the man was about to do the final blow but Bren grabbed a nearby bottle of wine and threw it at the man who swung down.

Red wine and broken glass flew onto the man and he swore

"Take this!" Bren shouted firing a shot from his magnum. He then reloaded the magnum and stepped over the glass and wine covered corpse.

"What are these guy's problems?" Bren thought continuing onwards, he then found the hole in the ceiling and once again fired a shot from his magnum to destroy the gas tanks and run back to Desmond

The ghoul didn't look happy

"Something wrong?" Bren asked

"Damn right something is wrong, they are mounting up for a final assault, take some of those mines and set them up. Quickly before they come" Desmond said arming himself with a hunting rifle

Bren set up the mines and he was ready for them to come.

They heard the sound of a banging on the front door

"Steady, remain calm" Desmond said to his dogs and Bren. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a ripper.

The door swung wide open by a large tribal with a sledge hammer but he was quickly taken out by a well place frag mine

"Fire!" Desmond shouted and Bren and the foul mouthed ghoul open fired from behind the sandbags at the invading tribal's

They then heard the sound of another banging

"Fuck, they are heading upstairs" Desmond said reloading and Bren ran from behind cover up the stairs and saw two tribal's looking at him.

"Take this!" Bren shouted firing his shotgun twice, both sprays hit their mark's and killed the tribal's

"Gahhh!" Desmond shouted and Bren could see from the top floor Desmond in a headlock by a large tribal

"Let go of me you fucking piece of shit" Desmond shouted and Bren ran down the stairs and fired a shot from his magnum hitting the tribal's arm

"Got you now!" Desmond said and he pulled away from the tribal's now weakened grasp and took out a hidden combat knife and stab the man's heart

He pulled out the knife and licked the blood off

"Great job Bren" Desmond said kicking the body

"Why were those tribal's attacking you?" Bren asked

"Those mud-lovers want me dead, and they haven't extended the common fucking courtesy of telling me why." Desmond said in his usual way of being crude

"I see, so what would have happened if I hadn't come?" Bren asked wondering

"I would have had to use the fucking failsafe" Desmond replied slightly annoyed

"What kind of failsafe?" Bren asked

"The type that kills everyone outside of my safe room and leaves a hell of a mess to clean up. Standard type" Desmond explained

"I see" Bren said

"Right, you got some real ball you know that? I been around for a long time and let me just say, men brave as you are hard to find" Desmond said to Bren

"A long time you say? What exactly is your story?" Bren asked

"My story? Tell you what, kid. My story's a lot like a Deathclaw's tongue. It's long, messy, and you don't want to get too personal with it. Understand?" Desmond said pulling out his knife and pointing it at Bren to make his point

"Alright I get it, sorry, still I'm glad to help" Bren said

"Right, I suppose you did save me the time to clean up a bunch of shit, I will teach you a few tricks to stay alive." Desmond said

"How do I know you have the right experience to me?" Bren said on a slip of the tongue, Desmond looked very angry at this

"What's the difference between you and me, kid? What makes a gifted killer like yourself into a rock-hard bastard like me? The answer is TRAINING you ignorant FUCK! I've got a hundred years of experience on you, and don't you forget it!" Desmond shouted at Bren and Bren nodded his head in fear. This was one Ghoul who you did not want to piss off.

"Right now do you want the tricks or not?" Desmond asked

Bren nodded his head

"Alright, now then for starters I noticed your hand to hand combat. You move pretty fast but to really make an impact you got to learn how stay in one place and remain strong like a statue. Go ahead and try to knock me down" Desmond said and Bren tackled Desmond only to be stopped by the surprisingly strong strength of the ghoul. In which Bren moved back

"How did you do that?" Bren asked

Desmond grinned a sinister grin

"By focusing my energy to my leg, I'm able to keep my balance up and remain on the ground. I once stopped a raging Brahmin with his move." Desmond said

"Next you will want to do this…." Desmond's lessons went on through the night and soon Bren was good enough to be considered a Superior Defender.

"You are quite a learner, reminds me of a man I met back in California, funny thing he had an outfit on just like yours, only with the number 13. Go figure" Desmond said to the worn out Bren. It Bren a while to get used to the hand to hand combat but he was a lot tougher now.

"So Bren want to help me figure out what caused those tribal's to attack me?" Desmond asked and Bren nodded his head

"Good, now then I want you to head to the old Ark and Dove Cathedral. There I want you to join their ranks and learn more of them" Desmond explained and Bren nodded his head

"On it" Bren said walking out, he munched on some food provided by Desmond on the way and soon make it to the Cathedral, he wondered if it was the right place as the Cathedral seemed abandoned

"Hmmm" Bren wondered but then a voice came on the nearby intercom at the gate

"Ah a traveler. Does this one wish to enter?" The voice asked, his voice was Shamanic and smooth

"Uh yes" Bren replied to the intercom

"Well then you must pass a right of initiation to join us. Go west into the Swamp, there you will find the Sacred Bog. Find the Mother Punga Seeds, you will then be tested and once you have been, you may come to us. Go now and may the Punga show you mercy" The man said and Bren sighed and continued onwards.

It was a good thing that Bren made friends with the Catcher Clan as he could see some Swamp Folk stare at him. But they smiled and went on their business.

It didn't take long for Bren to make it into the bog entrance and he figured by the large amount of punga fruit, it was the right place.

"Well here goes nothing" Bren thought and he went inside.

The water felt hot from the radiation and Bren stepped out of the water and onto land.

"Oh man, what did I get myself into" Bren thought.

He heard the sound of clicking and clacking and saw a large shelled creature. A Mirelurk, and it saw him

"Fuck" Bren said firing three shots from his magnum, but it wouldn't pierce the shell

The Mirelurk came onto land and head butted Bren into the ground, it then grabbed Bren's right arm and began to squeeze

"LET GO!" Bren shouted and he fired right into the Mirelurk's exposed face with his magnum. The Corpse let go and Bren was relieve to find his arm wasn't broken or cut.

"I better be more careful" Bren thought and he continued onwards.

He was thankful for the training Desmond gave him as he took on at least 10 more Mirelurk. Two of which nearly killed Bren.

"I'm gonna kill the guy who thought this was a good test of faith" Bren muttered to himself and he made it to the large Punga Fruit.

"Damn, that is huge, could even feed Fawkes for a week" Bren said chuckling and he touched the seed he was supposed to take back but then he felt a mist spray out of the seeds

"Shit it's a trap" Bren said and he felt drowsy…..sleep took him….and soon he fell to the ground.

He awoke but he didn't feel the same. He was naked but in the swamp

"Where am I?" Bren asked himself but he got no response

Bren stepped into the water and felt no burning, it was weird. But what was really off was a large red saw cutting the ground….wait large red saw?

"Ok this is weird" Bren thought looking at the saw, he then saw a large bobble head. It looked normal but on closer inspection it said it was a Schmault-Tec Bubblehead

Bren read the inscription of the Intelligence one.

"Tsk. Tsk. Walked right into another trap. Exactly how stupid are you?"

"Huh?" Bren thought, what did it mean. The Bubblehead disappeared with a pop and Bren continued onwards.

He then came up to another Bubblehead, Strength

"This is one situation you're not going to be able to fight your way out of." This one said and it disappeared in a blaze of fire which didn't hurt Bren

"This is getting very weird" Bren said walking forward, he then saw a large needle sewing the ground. That was very odd.

Bren continued forward and he saw the next Bubblehead, Endurance

"Keep it up, you're almost there... wherever 'there' may be... probably nowhere." Was written on the bottom and it melted in Bren's hand to nothing

Bren walked forward but then noticed some Nuka Cola which was purple in clear bottles and in a tree, he never seen something like it but he saw thirsty so he was about to go grab one when they fell of the tree and explode into fireworks

He then saw the next Bubblehead which appeared after the Nuka Cola exploded

Agility was what it was, "Isn't it funny how everything you get close to ends up leaving?" was wrote, mocking Bren and it zoomed into the air flying out of the sight of Bren.

"What the hell is going on?" Bren shouted and he walked forward but then something was off, he felt something was wrong and he looked up to see….the ground, he was walking the sky

"What the hell?" Bren asked and he saw the Perception Bubblehead upside down with him, it wrote to Bren "This doesn't look right, not right at all." And shrunk and shrunk until it became nothing

Bren walked forward and found the ground was normal but what he saw shocked him, it was the corpses of his friends and family all over on the ground but what caught his attention was his mother on a hospital gurney, her monitor was still on and beeping

"MOM!!!" Bren shouted and he saw another Bubblehead, it was Charisma

"What do you have to say?" Bren said angrily and it said, "Blech. If my kid looked like that, I'd abandon it too" before Bren could strangle the Bubblehead it went through an orange portal and shouted "Cake!" and the portal closed

The heart rate monitor went flat lined and Bren cried

"Damn it what the fuck is going on!!??" Bren shouted with his tear running across his face, he pushed forward and saw a man right in front of a large nuke, his had an outfit like the Late Mr. Burke. Next to him was a Luck Bubblehead

"Dead mother, life in a post-nuclear Wasteland and not a friend in it. Yeah, you aren't exactly blessed" It said and Bren was shedding tears as it shattered into pieces and the pieces disappeared

"Who are you?" Bren asked the man

"Mr. Break, now hold still or you are gonna get hurt" He said and all of the sudden the Nuke exploded

Bren awoke in front of the bog entrance, he had everything with him and he clutched his forehead.

"Ok that was a weird dream….how did I get out of there? Never mind might as well head back" Bren said walking back to the Cathedral, little knowing that something was amiss.


	30. Meeting of the Minds

Bren made his way back to the Cathedral, so far he seemed alright, he had a slight headache but he figured strange pollen slash gas would do something like that.

In any case Bren safely made it back where he was greeted by the same voice.

"I did your test, please let me in" Bren said, he tried to keep a polite tone but after being nearly beheaded, trained by a foul mouth ghoul, nearly turned into sushi for a Mirelurk and had the weirdest dream, all in which was in the course of 24 hours, he didn't want to fuck around so to speak.

"Ah, I see you have passed the test, come, join your brothers. Please meet me inside I wish to see you" The man said, keeping his shamanic tone.

The gate opened and Bren stepped through where he saw Tribal's tending to punga fruit, some looked at Bren and smiled and then went back to work. Bren walked into the Cathedral where he was met with an African American man in a more formal Tribal garb where he smiled at Bren.

"Welcome brother to our tribe. May the Punga guide our way through this hard time, my name is Jackson, leader of the tribe" He said

"Yeah I guess, oh my head" Bren clutched his forehead in pain

"Here you must be hungry, umm" Jackson handed Bren a punga fruit, unlike the wild ones, this one seemed more pure and brighter, and its taste was better too

"Bren, I came here to Point Lookout for Adventure, and to find someone." Bren said taking bites out of the fruit. It seemed to make his radiation go away faster then the normal fruit but it could have been his mind playing tricks on him.

"Who are you looking for perhaps I could help" Jackson said

"Does the name Nadine ring a bell? Bright red hair, sound familiar?" Bren asked

"She does" Jackson said

"That's great, where is she?" Bren asked

"Why right here, she might be in the back tending to the Punga, bless her heart, now I must go. I need to meditate. Peace be with you" Jackson said and he walked off

"Right…" Bren said to himself, he walked out of the Cathedral and made it to the back where he saw a woman with bright red hair tending to some Punga plants, humming a tune she seemed focused on her work

"Nadine?" Bren asked and the woman turned around

"Yes?" She asked

"Your mother is named Catherine right?" Bren asked, he wanted to make sure this was the right red headed girl, just to be safe.

"Correct? Why do you ask?" She asked

"I came to Point Lookout to find you, she is worried about you" Bren explained and Nadine sighed

"Look Mr. I don't care if you are mom yourself, I ain't going back until I get my fortune" She said and she turned to tend the Punga

"Hey, if you want to be rich then why are you here?" Bren asked, it made no sense to him, if she wanted her fortune they why was she with this Cult?

She looked around to make sure no one else was listening

"Punga Fruit, this stuff heals radiation, bring it to the Capital Wasteland, and I can make a fortune off it, I already stolen enough of the stuff to last me awhile" Nadine explained

"Right, I see so you are just someone scamming the tribe I guess" Bren said sighing

Bren clutched his head in pain

"Check your right side of your head" Nadine said noticing his pain and Bren felt his right side, and to his horror he felt that his head was shaved and there were stitches right on the side.

"What the hell?!" Bren asked in surprise

"To release their minds, someone would remove part of their brain while they are under by the Punga Seeds, so that would explain the lack of common sense or judgment" Nadine explained and Bren panicked

"Don't worry, the stitches will heal in time, I'm sure you will be alright because judging by the fact you can string together a complete sentence, that means you didn't lose a lot of your brain, same here." She said and Bren calmed down a little

"Any ideas who is doing it?" Bren asked

"I have an idea, meet me in a day or two at the ship" Nadine said and Bren nodded his head

"Hey any ideas where Jackson went, I think he might know something that could be important to me" Bren said

"Why is that?" Nadine asked

"Look, I can't really explain but something is really going on around here and I need to get to the bottom of this" Bren said and Nadine nodded her head in approval

"I suppose you could be right….listen I have a key to Jackson's praying grounds, Take it and open up his cave Find him and talk to him, kay?" Nadine said handing Bren the key, "To get there, follow the cliff to a broken ship and head through it to a hidden cave, that's how to get to it" She explained

"Thanks Nadine" Bren said turning to run off

"Wait, what's your name?" Nadine asked

"….Bren" Bren said not turning around, he ran off to the crashed ship, avoiding the Mirelurk that were around the area and opened the door to the ship. After about five minutes of walking through the dark cave he made it to the large grotto where he saw Jackson praying to some sort of floating brain…..Floating Brain?

Bren walked closer and Jackson looked up

"Bren what are you doing here?" Jackson asked breaking his usual tone of talking like a shaman

"What is that?" Bren asked pointing at the floating Brain which upon closer inspection was holographic

"That is out god known as The Transcendent One. I found him years ago when I formed the tribe, he has guided me ever since. I forgive your curiosity as to be enlightened one must choose to learn the lessons of life" Jackson said smiling and he walked off to the large ladder in the middle of the grotto

After he left the cave the brain sighed, or at least the speaker on the holographic projector did.

"Finally that moronic fool left. Maybe this time you will be easier to talk to. You can speak English right?" The brain asked, his tone was fast and it through Bren off….then again he already had some strange things happen to him in the last three months out of the Vault.

"Yeah, names Bren" Bren said

"Charmed, you may call me Professor Calvert, a pleasure to meet you Bren" The brain said

"Right, uh quick question…how come you are…." Bren didn't know how to word it

"Low on skulls, a brain in a jar, not quite a head on the shoulders. Come now I've had over 127years to think of a little comedy for my state of mind. To be more precise, I am a brain in an advance Robobrain vessel, you do know what a Robobrain is right?" Calvert asked

"Yeah, I broke a couple back in the Capital Wasteland" Bren said, he didn't know how to talk to this man

"I am aware you know a man or should I say ghoul named Desmond, don't try to lie to me" Calvert said in a "Lets get down to Business" tone

"Yeah I do, what of it?" Bren asked

"That man and I go way back, do not trust him, take it from me, he isn't someone who you should trust" Calvert said to Bren

"So how do you expect me to trust you?" Bren asked

"So you do have brains, for that I will answer one question for you. Go on anything" Calvert said

"Why did you order the Tribal's to attack the mansion?" Bren asked and the brain sighed

"I told them to destroy a special device but they wanted to burn the mansion down. Honestly good help is hard to find these days" Calvert said

"I see…." Bren said getting ready to leave. Desmond would want this info

I will contact you later. Farewell" Calvert said and the holographic projector deactivated

"Ok that was very odd" Bren thought and he took the ladder up to the surface, to his surprise he came out of the nearby well where he noticed the sun was high in the sky, it was noon and hot.

"Man my head is burning, damn who ever shaved my head, it took me three months to grow my ponytail" Bren said griping but he made his way back to the Mansion where he was met by Desmond

"Yeesh, look like you took on a fucking shaver….and lost" Desmond said and Bren sighed

"Laugh it up, but I got some info you may want" Bren said

"Well don't stand there like a fucking bitch, tell me what did you learn?" Desmond asked he was obliviously annoyed, what with the night before taking on a bunch of fucking tribal's, who wouldn't be slightly annoyed

"I found out they were being led by a brain in a jar, called himself Calvert, he said he knew you" Bren explained and Desmond face palmed and sighed

"That bastard decided to show his face again, and after the last time we faced in Reno, god I almost lost an arm" Desmond muttered

"So what is the story?" Bren asked

"Basically we got to kick his fucking ass. That's all the story you need to know" Desmond said

"So what's the plan?" Bren asked

"As you may be well aware of, Calvert has some ways to control the tribal's, so I have a device that can jam his abilities and prevent him from using the tribal's, well he would have to use more energy so we can find him easier" Desmond explained to Bren

"Right so where should we put it?" Bren asked

"We, no _you _are gonna fucking do it" Desmond said going into his supplies and pulling out an odd machine device

"Take it to that old Ferris wheel and put it on the top cart, it should have enough range to work" Desmond explained

"Right, but I don't think climbing a five story piece of rusted metal is a good idea" Bren said and Desmond face palmed himself and groaned

"Well then, fucking put it in the fucking first cart and fucking press the fucking switch to FUCKING MAKE THE WHEEL MOVE DUMB ASS!!" Desmond's words made his dogs put their tail between their legs and Bren gulped

"Now then, do I make myself fucking clear?" Desmond asked, his words were dark and Bren got the message

"I got the message sir" Bren said taking the device

Bren left the mansion and made it back to the Ferris wheel but before he installed the device to the cart he heard the voice of Calvert

"Ahh, Desmond would use that" The voice said and Bren looked around

"Don't look around, I'm speaking through to you telepathically, listen to me, I have four Tribal snipers in this area, ready to shoot you if you install the device, however I'm more then willing to condensate you for your troubles. Put the device in the nearby trash compactor and meet me at the Lighthouse. Don't worry I'm a man of my word" Calvert said

Bren looked around and could see a tribal holding a sniper rifle aimed at him from the roof of a nearby stall, Calvert wasn't lying, and if he saw one, then more must have been around.

Bren thought for a moment and smiled, he had a plan, but he knew Desmond would be pissed if he knew what he was about to do.

Bren placed the device into the trash compactor and turned it on, the metal was crushed and the wires sparked, soon it was nothing but a thin piece of metal and wires.

"Excellent, excellent, please head back to the mansion, I want to show you something" Calvert said and Bren made his way back to the mansion.

"Wait for it" Calvert said and Before Bren could wonder, an explosion rang out, sending Bren onto his back. The mansion gone and Bren looked around

"Hahahaha, Desmond is dead now, perfect, just perfect" Calvert said inside Bren's mind, he seemed pleased with himself, Bren then felt his mind was clearer, so he assumed Calvert had left his mind

Bren looked around the area and saw something odd in the ground, a round metal door, sticking right out of the mansion floor

"Hmmm" Bren thought and he opened the door to reveal a safe house

"Come on Desmond please be alright" Bren thought climbing down through the ladder and Bren saw a note on the table

"Bren if you are reading this, then you fucked up, I noticed the fail safe activating on its own, damn you fucker. I'm heading off to find him and I'm gonna shit on his grave" Desmond's note finished and Bren smiled

"I'm coming Desmond" Bren thought and he climbed out of the mini bunker. He made his way to the lighthouse where he saw the old building in all its glory, well glory in this currently shitty world.

"Alright time to find Desmond" Bren thought and he walked inside, and the ground opened up and Bren could see some stairs leading down into the lighthouse. Now Bren didn't know much about Lighthouses but he knew metal, Vault like stairs leading down into a secret bunker is not apart of the design.

"What am I leading myself into?" Bren thought and he made his way through the dimly lit halls and then he heard the crunch of metal and the sound of a Robobrain saying, "I'll miss you" and then he saw Desmond walk out of a nearby room, he glared at Bren.

"You! You... BASTARD! Betray me? You fuck! You think you can betray... ME?! You have one chance. Exactly one fucking chance to redeem yourself in my eyes." He said glaring at Bren

"I'm glad you are alright, but I'm not here to finish the job" Bren said

"Than why did you fuck up one simple fucking order?" Desmond asked

"Because I had four fucking snipers pointing their guns at me, and I had a plan" Bren said in a darker tone, Desmond was beginning to annoy Bren with his ungrateful attitude

"Really now?" Desmond asked

"I knew that Calvert would let down his guard, I knew that he would let me find him. Thanks to him thinking your dead, you can go in and finish the job" Bren said and Desmond was silent, he thought Desmond would begin ranting on something but instead he smiled.

"Well I be damned, you really did have a good plan, I'm impressed and trust when I say this is a one in a lifetime event, now come on, we need to get that brain and show him who is the real player around here" Desmond said and they continued onwards into the base.

They fought through the hoards of robot guards, but the combination of Bren's shotgun and Magnum skills against Desmond's personal sniper and fighting skills they made it to the inner chamber where they saw the large brain in a jar

"Well I am surprised, Bren it would seem you brought a rat into the base, my how annoying" Calvert said

Desmond stepped forward

"Calvert, I see you lost some weight since out last battle in Austin, I thought you died when those super mutants came into the mine?" Desmond asked

"No, I was able to escape, but my body was crushed, thanks to the technology I've gotten stronger, and Bren here was kind enough to help me with my plan. Now then Bren, kill him and I will give you the greatest reward any man could receive" Calvert said to Bren

"Bren, make your move" Desmond said smiling, his smile was sinister but it was a smile at least

Bren took his shotgun out….and aimed it at Desmond

"Sorry but I know what I have to do" Bren said

"Excellent, now shoot" Calvert said

"You're the boss…" Bren said and Desmond reached to his sniper and Bren fired a shot, but it wasn't from his shotgun, it was from his magnum, he had reached for it with his right hand, while his left held the shotgun at Desmond, a large crack could be seen on the glass tube that held Calvert's brain

"…You just didn't say at who" Bren added Grinning

"KILL THEM!!" Calvert shouted and the inert Protectron that circled the room sprang to life

"Mother Fucker!" Desmond shouted and he fired on one of the robots and Bren fired a shot from his shotgun cracking the glass even further

"STOP THEM BOTH" Calvert shouted and Bren shot at the tubing again and the glass shattered, the liquid holding the brain drained and it was defenseless as it was only hanging by the wires that connected him to the mainframe

"Calvert, want to know why you lost?" Desmond asked

"….why?" Calvert asked meekly, he knew his life was close to ending

"Because I had a student who I can trust" Desmond said and he fired on the brain. The bullet passed through like a hot knife through butter and Calvert's life ended, the last thing that went through his mind was, "Fuck, I should have gotten better help"

Desmond cracked his neck and noted that the Protectron fell to the ground, inactive now thanks to the ending of Calvert.

"Bren you did good, you were truly a good student, and I'm proud to have met you" Desmond said in a more civil tone

"What are you going to do now?" Bren asked Desmond as they made their way out of the building

"I'm going to head up north, I'm not the only player in this game and I need a new rival" Desmond said as they made it outside

"No kidding, well I hope you take care" Bren said shaking the ghoul's hand

"Bren, you better become stronger, because if I meet you again and you fucked up your training that I spent a good deal of my personal time with, I swear to god I'm going fire a bullet right in the heart, brain, and cock" Desmond said and Bren nodded his head, no doubt about it, Bren would rather face a deathclaw then Desmond.

"Right, I'm heading out, I need to talk to someone about my transport home" Bren said hiking back to the dock. Desmond turned to the lighthouse

"Calvert, you were a worthy rival, but in the end, you tried to be perfect, me I passed my knowledge to a worthier player…." Desmond thought and he spat on the ground and began to make his trek up north.

Bren made it to the Dock where he saw Nadine chuckling

"Oh Bren, guess what I found out" Nadine asked Bren didn't know what to say

"What?" Bren asked

"I found the man who was cutting our brains, I will give you a hint, he is locked in the Engine room and I took his ferry" Nadine said grinning from ear to ear

"Tobar!?" Bren exclaimed, he spent a month on a boat with him and he was a nice guy to talk to, plenty of stories, and tales of adventure. He seemed like a normal guy.

"Its true, I snuck into the Engine room, and he has saved the piece of brain of every person he "Freed the mind of" in there. It is him. Now why don't you get a little revenge on him for me" Nadine suggested and Bren walked to the engine room

"With the sharp end of the knife if you please" Nadine added and Bren sighed as he went inside the engine room where he saw Tobar sitting on a small chair reading a medical book

"Ah Bren, I'm surprised to see you up and about. Enjoy the spirit walk, you kept moaning about mommy and little daddy" Tobar said wiping away fake tears and Bren pulled out his magnum and glared at Tobar

"Shut up asshole, why did you do those lobotomies" Bren asked

"Ah you know a little about medicine, let me explain, I would bring idiots like you to Point Lookout, they meet the tribal's, are asked the join the ranks, and when they go into the great punga chamber, I wait for them to go under and then I crack the skull open and do my magic work. Heh, seems I should have cut a little more off on the end once I think about it" Tobar said looking at the collection of brains, he then turned to a piece of brain on the table he was sitting at

"That is yours, beautiful isn't it, well for this job, I gained 10 punga fruit, each job I get, I get punga. Wonderful fruit, and it will make me a rich man. Why? Because I will never run out of stupid adventurers who want on my boat, and they will never run out of punga to give to me. I win and you lose" Tobar said and Bren fired a shot right in the head of Tobar, ironically blowing his brain up

Bren took a look at the piece of brain in the jar and felt a sense of loneliness inside but he shook these feelings off and ran out of the room where Nadine smiled

"Heard a gun shot and your not dead so I assume he is?" Nadine asked

"He is, so you will take over the ship?" Bren asked

"That's correct, we can leave right now if you want" Nadine suggested

"Not yet, I need to get someone first" Bren said running off into the distance, he was going to get Alex to join the Protectors whether his father wanted him to leave or not….

AN: That's right I worked with Desmond, kicked some ass, and lost some brain. Not bad for an adventure, but it is not over yet. I still need to get Alex to join up with me. See ya next time.


	31. Goodbye Point Lookout, Hello Wasteland

AN: This is the last Chapter for the Point Lookout arc, glad to see that by now, I have at least five different readers….however only three of them seem to send me reviews LOL. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Bren made his way back to the Catcher Clan Cabin and went inside. He could see Cletus drinking some moonshine from the jug. He seemed happy.

"Bren good to have you back, come to have some moonshine?" Cletus asked

"Sorry I don't drink, what I came to ask for your son Alex to come to the Capital Wasteland with me" Bren said and Cletus looked surprise

"Is that so, well I'm afraid you are not allowed to take any clan members away" Cletus said, he reached for his axe and Bren sighed

"Is there anyway I can convince you otherwise?" Bren asked

"Why do you want to take my son away?" Cletus asked

"Because he wants to leave, and he deserves to make a choice in that matter" Bren said and Cletus smiled

"Alright, I will give you a test, west from here you will find a cave, inside is a Swamplurk King, kill it and bring me its head. That will be enough" Cletus said drinking more of the moonshine

"Understood" Bren said heading outside

"Uh Cletus you realize that King killed 23 hunters right" Zeke said to Cletus

"I know, but I could see something in his eyes…." Cletus said shaking, he had a feeling inside that made him worried

"So what did my father say?" Alex asked Bren outside of the Cabin

"He said I had to go to a cave east of here and kill a Swamplurk" Bren explained

"You are trying to Kill Luther?!" Alex asked surprised

"Luther?" Bren asked

"That's the name of a Swamplurk King inside the cave, the only person to have survived was my Uncle Martin and he barely survived, everyone else who tried to kill it was killed" Alex explained to Bren

"You want to leave this Place?" Bren asked reloading his magnum and Shotgun

"Of course but what you are doing is suicide" Alex said

"Alex….I should have died a long time ago….trust me when I say I know the risks. Do you want to leave, well pack your bags and meet me at the Docks, tell the Red haired Woman I will be there shortly, ok" Bren said

Alex was silent but he decided to listen to Bren

"Take this then" Alex said handing Bren a small knife, it was like a combat knife but it had a brass knuckle like handle

"What is it?" Bren asked

"Trench Knife, got it from that weird Panada lady, I hope it works for you" Alex said and Bren smiled

"Don't worry about me" Bren said walking off into the distance. He was willing to risk his life for the freedom for a fellow man. He was prepared to die as he was back in Project Purity, but fate had played a hand to keep him alive. For this he was thankful. But now he was walking through the Swamp and soon made it to a large cave.

"Luther, prepare yourself" Bren said to himself and he walked inside.

Bren gagged on the stench that he smelled, it was so horrible Bren could almost taste it. Reminded him of Molerat meat, that stuff was nasty.

Bren could see in a large pool in the cave what looked like a cross between a human and a fish, it had glowing eyes, a green skin, and a look that would be put on Bren's list of things to fear. This was Luther, the Swamplurk King.

It turned to Bren and snarled and Bren drew his magnum

"Lets dance" Bren said and almost right after he said that it spat out a ball of green slime which hit Bren's left arm. It burned through the cloth and began to burn his arm and Bren realized it could spit an acid, it wasn't too deadly but too much and it would be the end for him.

"Fuck" Bren swore as he side stepped to the right and he sent three shots from his magnum which only one hit and it was a glancing blow.

Luther spat three more globs of slime which hit Bren's legs and they began to burn like his arm. Bren could see why many hunters died at its hands. Judging by the skeletons they died at this point and never got even close to the pool

"Take this!" Bren shouted drawing a frag grenade, he tossed it into the pool and the explosion combined with the water created a stronger internal shock to Luther.

"Take that you bastard" Bren said and he clutched his left arm, it still stung from the acid but then to his horror he saw Luther who was still alive get out of the pool and snarl again at Bren.

"Fuck I thought that the using the grenade in the water would make for a stronger internal attack" Bren thought and he fired his magnum into the right shoulder of Luther. The shot didn't do any damage at least judging by how it didn't even flinch.

"This is bad" Bren muttered and he narrowly dodged a swipe from its right claw, they weren't as big as a Deathclaw but they could easily cut up flesh into ribbons if they got him.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Bren thought as he tried to find an opening, but Luther kept sending swings at Bren so much that he couldn't counter attack.

"Damn it, how am I going to win?" Bren asked himself, he was backed into a corner by Luther and he was down to two more shots in his magnum, thanks to his left arm being numb due to the acid he wouldn't be able to use his shotgun.

"Damn it" Bren said as he fired his last two shots into Luther, both hit his chest and they seemed to do some degree of damage as he paused for a moment.

"Now" Bren thought and he drew the trench knife that Alex gave him and he punched Luther in the chest with the knuckle part and did a spinning slash right into the belly of the beast.

Luther snarled and pulled back and Bren panted heavily, he was either going to kill Luther or both of them are going to die in this cave.

"Well Luther, lets dance" Bren said coughing, the radiation in the cave was beginning to affect his senses, he needed to finish this fight soon.

He held up the trench knife and held his stance, Luther snarled at him and despite his bleeding charged at Bren.

"TAKE THIS!" Bren shouted and he ducked the clawing slash and cut the legs of the Swamplurk, causing Luther to go onto his knees

"Well Luther, its game over" Bren said and with that he jammed the knife into the neck of the creature and it died.

Bren let out a cry of victory and cut off the head of Luther, he was the victor and he was feeling good.

"Time to show you to Cletus" Bren said to the head and he walked out of the cave.

Bren walked back to the cabin smiling all the way, he got the attention of Catcher Swampfolk as he held the head of Luther in his arms and soon made it to the cabin where he opened the door and tossed the head onto the ground.

"Luther is dead, you have to keep your end of the bargain" Bren demanded, he laughed a bit and Cletus and Zeke looked at the head in astonishment. No hunter has ever done something like this before.

"….alright you win. But before you go I want to give Alex something" Cletus said and he went into the back and came back with a double barrel shotgun.

"What's that?" Bren asked

"My fishing aid, belong to my pa, and his pa, and his pa. Now I want to give it to Alex, I knew he was born differently, guess he doesn't belong here" Cletus said sighing

"Thank you, I hope you have a good life here" Bren said shaking Cletus's left and normal hand.

"You too, now before you go, I want you to have something" Cletus said and Zeke handed him a full jug of Moonshine

"For your troubles" Cletus said and Bren smiled

"Good bye" Bren said walking out of the cabin, he made his way back to the dock where he saw Alex talking to Nadine.

"Ready to go?" Nadine asked

"Yeah, Alex your father wanted me to give you this" Bren said handing him the shotgun

"Yeah….well come on lets go before he changes his mind….trust me he has done that before….poor Ian…..lost his leg…." Alex was silent and Bren gulped

"All aboard, next stop Capital Wasteland" Nadine said and they went on board

"Good Bye Point Lookout" Alex said as they pulled out of the dock and into the distance.

A month passed quickly and Bren and Alex stepped off onto the dock, Bren's hair grown back, not into a pony tail but it was a mullet which he tied back. Alex was amazed by the Wasteland, unlike the murky swamp of Point Lookout; he could see the bright sun warm his body.

"Wow" Was all Alex could say

"I know, first thing I said when I left the Vault" Bren said, while on the ship for the last month, Bren had told Alex his story from the Vault Life, to abduction, to even nearly dying in the purifier, all of which Alex had hung upon every word.

"Alex we need to stop by Rivet City before we go to the base" Bren said to Alex and he nodded in agreement.

They made it into the Market place and Alex was amazed by how many people were there.

"So this is a market place huh?" Alex asked

"That's correct, come on we need to get you some better cloths, Swamp Folk rags are not going to protect you from the Wasteland" Bren explained and they went shopping. After about an hour in the market place, Bren had gotten his armor repair, meaning replace the holes from his battle with Luther, with more Combat armor pieces, now thanks to all of the Modifications it looks like combat armor with the 101 on the back, rather then a uniform. Alex had gotten a Mercenary Adventurer outfit which he thought felt good on him. Of course many traders begged him for the double barrel shotgun as they had never even seen a weapon like that before. All offers were turned down and they made it back out into the Wasteland.

"Come on I want to show you something" Bren said walking into the direction of the Purifier, he stopped in front of a pool that unlike the normal pools, seemed to be clearer

"Go on try some" Bren said to Alex and he scooped some up and drank it

"Oh my god, it tastes so good!" Alex said

"It was purified, thanks to my father's work, we now have Aqua Pura…..father…." Bren sighed but he shook it off

"We better get going, we need to head to the Base before Dark" Bren said and they continued onwards.

They kept hiking and Bren kept a lookout for any troubles, he already had plenty of battle scars from battles, he would rather not add more from not paying attention.

"Stay Alert, people have died on these roads by not paying attention" Bren warned Alex

"I understand" Alex said and he kept on the lookout.

They saw a Caravan being held up by some raiders, this Caravan was one of the special ones as they carry Aqua Pura, and fresh water was worth even more then Gold itself.

The Guard was dead by the hands of the Five Raiders who held it up and the Merchant was begging for his life

"Please, take the water and let me go" The merchant begged

"Not a chance, besides its fun to watch a persons head explode" A raider said holding his sawed off shotgun right at the forehead of the merchant.

"We have to stop them" Alex said but Bren held him back

"Stop and think….we have five raiders and only two of us, only I have real experience in Wasteland Combat, while you only have hunting experience, they have a hostage…..this is like playing chess without a bishop or a rook" Bren said chuckling, the raiders had yet to notice them but that was going to change in a few moments.

"Got it" Bren said and he drew a frag grenade from his side pouch, he took off the pin and threw it off to the side just behind where three raiders were standing. The explosion rang out killing two of the raiders and the third was only knocked to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" The Raider holding the trader hostage exclaimed and Bren and Alex came out of hiding

"Get down!" Bren shouted and the merchant got to the ground as Bren threw another grenade taking out two more raiders

"Fuck, I didn't sign up for this!" The raider said backing off slowly

"Then you shouldn't be in protector Territory" Bren said glaring at the man

"Wait….that Armor…..fuck its you" The raider said pointing at Bren

"That's right" Bren said pulling out his magnum and shooting the raider twice in the chest.

"Sir are you alright?" Bren asked the Merchant, Alex had helped him get up

"Thank you so much, I was on my way to Megaton when those raiders ambushed me" The merchant explained

"Your Water can attract a lot of attention, me and Alex will escort you on the rest of the way" Bren said and the merchant smiled as they continued onwards to Megaton.

It took them about another hour but they made it to Megaton in one piece and the man thanked them for their troubles with 200 caps which Bren accepted.

"Come on, the base isn't to far from here" Bren said as they continued onwards to the Super Duper Mart.

After 15 minutes of walking they made it on top of the hill and they could see the Super Duper Mart.

"So that's your base?" Alex asked

"That's right, and now it is your new home" Bren said and they made their way down and went inside.

"Guys I want to introduce you to someone new" Bren shouted inside and everyone turned to Bren.

"Your returned" Charon said

"Finally, its been what, two months now?" Jericho asked

"Attention! Commander is now present" RL said

"But I been here all day….oh you mean Bren" Rommel said now noticing Bren

"Hey Lover boy, good to see you are back" Clover said

"Bren good to have you back" Butch said high fiving Bren

Dog Meat tackled Bren to the ground and began licking his face

"Alright down Dog Meat, please" Bren said

Cross smiled at this and Fawkes ran out from the bathroom which was his room

"BREN YOU HAVE RETURNED!!" Fawkes shouted

"Uh oh" Bren said just before he was crushed by Fawkes's bear hug

"Fawkes…..your…..hurting……me" Bren groaned and Fawkes let go

"Forgive me, I got excited, I couldn't help it" Fawkes said and Bren smiled, he meant well even if he made mistakes like that.

"Protectors, I want to introduce you to Alex, he is now going to be apart of our family, treat him like any other" Bren said

Alex smiled; he knew he had found a new home…..


	32. A Demon's Return

AN: Forgive me for the hiatus, my computer had gotten a virus and it took out all the firewalls and protection, then I had to wait a week for a program to arrive so I could reboot the entire system. So I had plenty of time to plan out my next adventure. Remember to Read and Review and send any ideas for new adventures, characters, or just opinions on characters and such ^_^. I take all ideas into consideration. So without further ado it is time for More Wasteland Life.

"….and so then I shot him after he told me about my brain" Bren had just finished explaining his tale of adventure to the Protectors and he had the piece of Brain in a jar to show them.

"I'm getting a head ache looking at it" Jericho said

"That ghoul….Desmond you said….you knew him?" Charon asked now speaking up

"Yeah why? Know him?" Bren asked

"Know him? I fought him once, nearly gutted me on a pole, barely escaped with my life, can't say the same for my master back in Utah" Charon said

"Yikes" Butch said

"So guys any more news going on?" Bren asked, he had been gone for two months and he needed to know the current events

"Brotherhood has been pushing back Enclave troops for the past months, thanks to Liberty Prime they had been able to do more then they ever could" Cross said and Rommel Nodded in agreement

"We also been pushing back Talon Company and they haven't been a problem in a three mile radius of Megaton" Jericho explained, he took another drag from his cigarette and blew out the smoke

"Our supplies have been holding out, and Vault 101 had been making contact with Traders in Megaton and even here on Occasion" Butch said

"That's all good to know, so do we have any more jobs to take care of?" Bren asked

"We do, we were given a job to check out an old Military Bunker, for supplies and weapons for Megaton. We get 1500 caps, as well as a fair share of items found" Rommel explained

"Right so where is it?" Bren asked

"Outside of the Capital Wasteland, West of Little Lamplight according to your maps" Rommel said.

"Right" Bren said, he yawned and smiled

"Alright, I want RL, You, Charon, and Fawkes to come with me on this mission" Bren said and they nodded

"Sir Yes sir" RL said

"At ease" Bren said, "Lets all get some sleep" Bren said and they went to bed.

The Next Morning Bren and the others set off West and after about 3 hours of hiking they made it to the large metal door that was the Military Bunker

"Right….so how do we get in?" Bren asked

"Allow me" Fawkes said and he roared and sent a slam with his super sledge knocking the door to the ground

"Remind me not to piss him off" Rommel said to Bren as they walked into the Bunker, according to the job there should be a cache of weapons and medicine, both of which were needed in the Wasteland.

"Spread out, Charon you are with me, the rest of you contact us if you see anything" Bren said and they nodded as they searched the base for any supplies

"Lets see what can we find" Bren said looking around the rooms, little knowing he was being followed by a figure in a cloak.

Bren and Charon made their way into the mess hall that was set up

"Charon check the supplies, maybe they have some dried food or something" Bren said as she checked out the walls, the Walls were made of metal, similar to the ones in Vault 101, perhaps this bunker was made by the same company.

"Bren….someone is in here" Charon said getting up and holding out his shotgun, he heard something and he looked around

"Wait here" Charon said walking out and Bren could hear Charon shout, "Found Ya" and him firing his Shotgun but then Bren could hear a clanging and the sound of a punch in the gut and Charon groaning then falling to the ground. The man in the large hooded cloak walked into the hall, the sound of his foot steps echoed in the empty hall.

"It's been awhile Bren" The figure said and Bren's eyes widen

"Impossible….you should be dead…." Bren said with fear in his eyes as the person lowered his hood to reveal the face of Skyler, his hair was wilder and Bren could see parts of his face had burns and scars from his encounter with the Late Rick.

"I should, shouldn't I?" Skyler said cracking his neck

"What do you want?" Bren asked

"You….you are "The Lone Wander" the "Hero of the Wasteland" and the only target whose escape me time and time again" Skyler said, his words were of malice and anger

"What did you do to Charon?" Bren asked

"That ghoul? Knocked him out, once I'm through with you, I'm going to kill your friends along with him. Especially that Traitor Rommel Autumn" Skyler said holding his claws up.

"Fine, if you want to fight, then so be it" Bren said drawing his magnum and firing two shots right at Skyler's chest, only to have them clang off

"Forget my armor?" Skyler asked mockingly as he tossed his cloak aside

"Now it is my turn" Skyler said and his voice became raspier, almost like a wild animal and Bren could see his pupils become sharper, he was going feral

"DIE!!!" Skyler shouted and he jumped at Bren who barely had time to dodge the attack, he turned in time for Skyler to cut a wooden table in half. He glared at Bren who just ran out of the hall and into the hallways

"Well, I guess I have time to play a game of Deathclaw and Molerat" Skyler said running after Bren in the hall ways

"Fuck this is bad, this is bad, this is bad" Bren thought as he ran into another room, it looked like a storage room as many crates were unopened, Bren hid behind some of the wooden crates just as Skyler walked into the room.

"Come out come out where ever you are" Skyler said sniffing the air

"I can smell you, don't try to hide" Skyler said licking his claws, he was ready to kill Bren

"Bren gulped as he pulled out his shotgun; he then pulled out a frag grenade but didn't remove the pin

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Bren shouted and he tossed the grenade from behind his cover

"Fuck!" Skyler swore as he braced himself for the impact but it didn't come and Bren took this window of opportunity to come out of cover and fire two shots at Skyler, the first hit the armor harmlessly but the second had more of an impact, it grazed Skyler's right side of his face and Bren could see Skyler bleeding but laughing

"Was that all?" He asked laughing

"How the devil did you not feel it?" Bren asked

"My heart goes to the point of its limit and I even also control my adrenaline output, I feel no pain and I am stronger then any man!" Skyler declared and Bren stepped back in fear and Skyler grinned like a maniac and ran at Bren.

"Fuck" Bren swore as he tried to avoid Skyler but alas Skyler made an impact, he felt his right side bleeding, the wound wasn't serious but it was painful.

Bren ran out of the room and Skyler chuckled as he licked the blood off the claws, the taste of blood was like the ambrosia of this demon god of war.

Bren clutched his side as he made his way into a new room, it looked like a hospital ward, he could see racks of pills and shots and other supplies. He turned to see Skyler at the doorway, his eyes were twitching.

"Damn it" Bren said drawing his trench knife

"I shall give you a warrior's death, and a weaklings grave" Skyler said clashing with Bren, Bren did all he could to defend himself from the claws

"Why do you continue to fight? Give it up already" Skyler said sending Bren to the ground with a sweeping kick, Bren's knife fell to the ground clanging on the tile flooring.

"I fight because I been though a lot, my father always told me that no matter how dark a tunnel is, there would always have a light at the end, I just have to keep on trying" Bren said trying to crawl away but Skyler kicked him and rolled him onto his back, he kept weight on him as he pulled Bren's right arm up

"What are you doing?" Bren asked in fear, he had a feeling what would happen

"I'm going to make you suffer, and make that light at the end of your tunnel…._death!"_ He pulled Bren's right arm beyond its limits and Bren heard a cracking sound, the arm was beyond broken, it was dislodged completely

Bren screamed in pain and Skyler chuckled as he held his claws near the now useless arm

"Worthless arm, let me fix that for you" Skyler said and Bren's eyes widened in horror as he felt the steel claws cut through the flesh, and come out the other side right through the bone. Bren shouted in pain

Skyler laughed as he grabbed Bren by his collar and held him up, Bren could feel his vision become cloudy

"Let me help you a bit" Skyler said running his claw down Bren's right eye, Bren could feel his right eye be cut in open, fluid leaked out as Bren was almost blinded

"Time to die" Skyler said and Bren looked on the table and he spied a syringe in an open container marked, "Military grade Psycho" with his left eye

"Any last words?" Skyler asked

"A Few….goodbye" Bren said grabbing the drug and injecting it into the side of the neck of the Chimera, he pushed the fluid into his body and Skyler let go, Bren held his arm as to not bleed out.

"What did you do….my heart….what's going on….?" Skyler groaned as he struggled to stand up, his vision was getting cloudy

"You said your heart rate is to the limit, this stuff makes it go beyond….goodbye Skyler…." Bren said and Skyler could feel his heart beginning to fail

"I can't die like this….I have to kill my brother….I have to kill Jacob….I have to live….." Skyler fell to the ground and passed from this world, Bren felt faint but he made his way out of the room clutching his arm, it was as if Bren's body was on fire. But he was determined, determined not to die like this.

He could only make it to entrance to the mess hall where he collapsed from weakness

"Guys…..help….." Was the last thing Bren could think.

"Fuck, guys get over here, come on we need to get him out of here. We need to get him to the citadel"

Bren awoke in a hospital Bed, he looked around and tried to remember what had happened to him.

"What a weird dream….my arm is killing me….wait" Bren pulled some covers away and saw his arm now covered in bandage, he also felt where his right eye was, bandage covered the socket

"Fuck, what happened to me" Bren asked

"Chimera Agent"

Bren turned to see Rommel looking at him, his expression was more of disappointment

"You did one of the most reckless things I have ever seen, you fought a Chimera….and yet you lived to tell the tale" Rommel said sitting on a nearby chair and face palmed

"Rommel….I'm sorry" Bren said

"Sorry…no I'm impressed that you survived with that injury" Rommel said

"Really? Wait you know about the Chimeras?" Bren asked

"A little, a lot of it is classified even to higher ups, what I do know is the location of the base in California, and the fact they are making super soldiers, how did I know that was an agent, his armor had on the collar the Chimera seal" Rommel explained

"What happened after I passed out….wait is Charon alright?" Bren remembered that Charon was knocked out

"We got him out of there, we are at the Citadel Hospital, the Doctor should be here shortly" Rommel said and with that Doctor John came in with some x-rays

"I'm afraid I have some bad news" John said and Bren looked worried

"What is it?" Bren asked

"I don't know how to tell you this but your right arm….because of the bone and nerve damage caused to it, I'm afraid it is beyond repair as well as your right eye….I'm sorry" John said frowning

"Is there nothing you can do?" Bren asked

"…wait I heard about a man in Rivet City who is from the Commonwealth, people there know much about Cybernetics, perhaps he can help you out" John said

"Then we need to go to Rivet City" Bren said trying to get up but Rommel held him down

"No dice, you are in no condition to go anywhere, I will go find him" Rommel said turning to leave but before he left he added

"Don't Worry, if I have too I will donate my own arm to help you" Rommel said walking off

A Day passed and Rommel returned with the Elderly man known as Dr. Zimmer

"Let me see the boy" Zimmer said and he examined Bren

"Age 18, close to being 19, right arm nearly beyond repair, in a slight fever, I see yes, that would work…." Zimmer muttered about something and smiled

"Boy I can repair your arm, by replacing your bones with metal versions and using cybernetics I can make you even stronger with automail" Zimmer said, "Oh and I can fix up that eye as well"

"Automail?" Bren asked

"I heard about that stuff, full cybernetic prosthetics, didn't think they were real" Rommel said

"They are real, the Commonwealth has many people with it, and the best part is that you don't lose your entire arm in the surgery and rehabilitation is easy to cope with" Zimmer explained

"You can fix my arm…good, I don't know how to thank you….so name your price" Bren said

"5000 caps, and information if you have any. You see I have been looking for an android that ran off. I will compensate you very well for that information on the whereabouts of that one" Zimmer said

"Rommel….pay the man 7000 caps, we should have enough. I want this job done quickly" Bren said, his eyes were like black orbs, he had fire in his soul.

"A big spender, impressive. Payment shall be given to me at the end of the rehabilitation, now then give me two days to get the supplies and we can get started on the surgery" Zimmer said

Two days later the parts and supplies came to the Citadel, the evening grew long as Bren endured the pain of the surgery. Unlike others who screamed in pain, Bren gritted his teeth, he refused to die, he couldn't die, not yet….

A week passed and Bren stood outside of the citadel, he held his right arm into the air, it was now more machine then flesh. The bones were replaced with steel counterparts, and the nerves were wires. His flesh wasn't even real, it was a synthetic alloy that was flesh like, but stronger. His right eye was made of metal with a light to scan the area like a hawk. Bren now was a cyborg.

"Zimmer, I thank you. Good luck finding your android" Bren said to Dr. Zimmer after paying him the caps and additional bonus

"Rommel lets go head back to the Base" Bren said sternly and Rommel nodded as they went out.

It wasn't long before they saw a Caravan carrying Aqua Pura get ambushed by Super mutants, both with Sledgehammers.

"Puny Human you die now" One shouted and Rommel was about to fired his Novasurge when Bren held his arm up

"Let me handle this" Bren said, he needed a workout and this would be a good field test

"Hey Stupid!" Bren shouted and the mutants turned to Bren

"Hey admitting is the first step to fixing a problem" Bren said grinning and the mutants glared at Bren

"Human say too many big words, SQUISH HIM!" The first shouted and the other ran at Bren but Bren was able to focus on the direction of the mutant's hammer swing and side step, he then sent a mean right hook into the mutant's face sending him into the ground dead.

"Human pay for that!" The other said but Bren had drew his magnum and aimed just as the mutant ran at him. He fired a shot that shot the hammer right off the handle leaving only a long stick with a broken end

"How did yo-" The mutant was cut off by Bren firing in it's throat

"Die now" Bren said as the mutant gargled and tried to gasp for air. It was hopeless and Bren walked to the mutant in pain and smiled as he watched it die.

"Rommel lets go" Bren said as they continued onwards. Bren was stronger then ever before. He was ready to fulfill his destiny and he would stop at nothing to make it happen…

For good….or for evil….Bren was going to change the world one way or another….

AN: Automail, a reference to Full Metal Alchemist, some of you maybe saying, Bren what the hell? Well if they can have Androids, not out of the question to have Automail. Like I said before send ideas. Next up will be Into the Pitt. See ya then.


	33. Into the Pitt

AN: As I could not find the Transcript for the Radio Signal, I shall be altering the way to get into the Pitt. For the fanfiction….it really annoys me when I can't find stuff like that but I digress, enjoy the next chapter.

Bren and Rommel had made their way back to the base where they were met by RL who was patrolling the outside of the base

"Commander, it is good to see you alive and well" RL said

"I agree, now then if you excuse me" Bren said walking past RL and walking into Base where he saw Butch Arm wrestling Jericho on a wooden crate

Everyone else watched (minus RL and X the Protectron) as the duo refused to let up

After about a minute of watching Bren spoke up

"Ahem" Bren said and Butch looked up just as Jericho slammed his arm down

"Fuck, hey I was distracted" Butch said

"In the Wasteland if you get Distracted you get shot, let that be a warning for the future" Jericho said walking off to get something

"Any Jobs?" Bren asked the group

"Yeah" Alex said

"Really what is it?" Bren asked

"This is the message" Jericho said handing Bren a browned piece of paper

"Lets see" Bren said reading it

"_To the Lone Wanderer, Bren. I heard stories of your exploits, now I wish to enlist you for your help. Head North to a large Radio Tower, there you will find me. I need help with something very important. Come Alone." _

The message seemed strange

"How did you get this?" Bren asked

"It was found outside of the base while you were in the Hospital" Jericho said, "Must had slipped it to us in the middle of the night" he added

Bren took a look at the message and nodded

"Alright guys, I'm heading out" Bren said

"But you just got here" Rommel said

"I have a job to do, and if it's a trap…then I will crush his head" Bren said clenching his right fist, he was ready for anything.

"Alright, but at least stock up on some supplies" Rommel said and Bren nodded, Clover sighed, she hadn't been able to spend time with Bren for a while.

"Lover Boy, when will you be back?" Clover asked

"….I don't know" Bren said filling his pack with food and water. He refilled his shotgun and Magnum and he checked his trench knife. He was prepared for the mission.

"Take care guys" Bren said walking out with his backpack on, little knowing of the horrors he would find.

It didn't take him too long to find the Radio tower but what surprised him was that he saw four raiders surrounding a scruffy looking man who wore an eye patch on his right eye, each one had clothing that seemed out of place. They were put together with more strategy in mind.

"We finally found you Wernher" One of the raiders said, he held a sawed off shotgun and he glared at the man

"Damn it didn't think you would find me so quickly" The man said but then a gun shot was heard and the raider fell to the ground. Bren was holding his magnum and he smiled

"Shall we dance?" Bren asked and he quickly dispatched the raiders with little effort, they were either unprepared for Bren, were tired, or both because Bren could take them out without getting hurt.

"You must be the person who sent me this message" Bren said holding up the piece of paper

"You must be Bren" The man said

"Correct, and you are?" Bren asked

"Wernher, now then you might be wondering why I called you here" Wernher said and Bren nodded

"I come from a place called the Pitt, a hellhole there, I escaped from being a slave but I can leave the others there" Wernher explained

"Why not?" Bren asked

"You may not understand but they are dying, not of labor or raiders, but of a disease, turns them into….well I need you help, you need to infiltrate the Pitt, and find the Cure. The leader knows what is it and I need you to get it for me" Wernher explained

"Alright sounds simple enough. So what are you going to do with the cure?" Bren asked

"I'm going to heal everyone and free the slaves. Will you help me?" Wernher asked

Bren thought for a moment

"Sure, how do I help you" Bren asked

"We need to head to the train station; we can get to the Pitt from there." Wernher explained and Bren nodded as he walked off to the direction of the station. Wernher was right behind him.

It took the duo only about 30 minutes to make it to the Station and they could see some Slavers and a cage of slaves.

"Three Slavers, a couple slaves in the cage….let me take care of this" Bren said walking to them. Wernher stood back behind cover to watch him

"Hey you the man that Eulogy sent?" One of the Slavers asked seeing Bren, Bren assumed he was the leader

"Uh yeah, I am" Bren said playing off the lie

"Ok, that's 1000 caps for the two of them as agreed" The Slaver said

"Right, do you take bullets?" Bren asked and before the slaver could respond Bren shot him with his magnum taking him down, he then fired on the second one before he could react and then he pointed his gun at the last one who froze

"Unlock the cage" Bren said glaring at the man who meekly nodded his head

"Now run" Bren said and the slaver ran off

The slaves looked at Bren in confusion, was he a slave holder or a savior

"You are free now" Bren said to them and he handed them 200 caps for them to share

"Take care of yourselves" Bren said as they ran off

"You are quite a man" Wernher said walking past the slaves

"They deserve better" Bren said as they walked into the train station, there Bren could see a handcart

"Its gonna take us about a day and a half to make it to the Pitt" Wernher said hopping on

"Right" Bren said getting on and they began to pump the cart and soon they were off.

{One day and a Half Later}

The duo arrived at the other train station and got off and to their surprise a raider was waiting for them

"Wernher let me do the talking" Wernher said to Bren and he walked to the raider smiling like he was talking to an old friend

"Hey been a while" Wernher said and the raider snarled at him

"You shouldn't have come back Wernher you know what you did" The raider said still glaring at him

"Oh come now, can't we be friends?" Wernher asked

"Ashur's got a big bounty on your head, and I'm gonna cash i-"The raider was cut off by Wernher using his own person magnum. He shot the raider in the heart and then fired on other who was about to shoot him

"Bren lets take them out" Wernher shouted to Bren who then fired on a raider who was about to knife Wernher

"Nice try" Bren said as he fired three more rounds at the raiders, thanks to his cybernetic eye, his timing and skill has improved, almost like the targets were standing still.

In a short while the raiders were dead and they made their way to a large chain link fence when Wernher stopped Bren.

"Hold on" Wernher said to Bren, he handed Bren a small .32 caliber pistol

"Your gonna lose your stuff when you go in, keep this on your person" Wernher said to him, Bren nodded

"Cross the bridge and head to them, be careful. Now when you go inside, look for a slave named Midea, she will tell you what to do" Wernher explained

"Midea, got it" Bren said

"And Bren, thanks. You are going to do a great thing for this place" Wernher said

"Right" Bren said walking through the gate, he could see the bridge and could see it covered with a lot of broken cars.

"Alright lets head on in" Bren said to himself walking to the bridge, he stepped over a car and landed on the ground but then he heard something, a beeping. He looked down and saw a mine on the ground

"Fuck!" Bren swore running out of the way as it explode but then to his horror he heard more beeping

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!!" Bren shouted as he ran across the bridge with a trail of explosions following behind him

"Why do I get myself into these situations!?" Bren thought as he made it to the other side of the bridge, he took many deep breaths in the struggle not to pass out.

" How did Wernher get past those mines?" Bren asked himself but before he could continue he saw three slaves run in the direction he was going to go and to his horror he saw them step on mines, raining a macabre shower of blood

"My god…." Bren thought as he walked ahead to a large gate where he saw a raider holding what looked like a silenced Assault rifle in his hands, he looked at Bren and walked to the unopened gate.

"You don't look like a slave, or a Pitt raider for that matter, so who are you?" The raider asked

"Oh, I'm here to see if you want some help, maybe a new member, I know how to kill" Bren said trying to lie his way in. Two raiders pointed their guns at Bren but the third raider held his arm up

"Sure come on in, we will show you to the office and we can get you suited up, alright let him in" The raider shouted to the man above who opened the gate.

"Just head on in" the man said and Bren walked ahead

"Moron" The raider said after Bren left.

Bren was only able to walk five steps when he felt a blow to the back of his head

"Not again" Bren thought as he fell to the ground

"I call that shotgun"

"I got the armor"

"Ashur will want this stuff, he isn't from around here, look at the number, look familiar?"

"I suppose, but what he won't know won't hurt him"

A gun shot rang out

"Anyone else….didn't think so"

Bren was shaken awake by a young woman, they were in a small room with some cabinets and such

"Oh my head" Bren moaned

"Don't worry, I used my last stimpack to heal that, you must be the person Wernher said he send" The woman said

"Where am I?" Bren asked

"My home, my name is Midea, oh and I took the liberty of dressing you in the "proper" attire" She said and Bren could see he was wearing a slave outfit

"Names Bren" Bren said checking his person, he still had his gun but he refused to ever speak of how he smuggled it in, no matter what.

"So I was told to talk to you about the plan" Bren said to her

"Yes, you see, first I need you to-" But before she could finish a raider came into the room

"So this is where he is, alright Midea tell him the good news?" The raider asked

"Yes Jackson, 10 ingots, as agreed" Midea said and Bren was confused

"Right, send him to his grave" Jackson said

"You, head over to the mill, look for a man named Everett, got it?" Jackson asked Bren

"Of course" Bren said

"Good" Jackson said as he left the room

"Sorry about that, listen if you need a weapon, go find a man named Marco in the Mill, he can provide you with a weapon to survive the ordeal" Midea said

"So what's this about Ingots?" Bren asked

"All you have to do is find some Ingots for the mill, if you do that you might have a better chance with meeting with Ashur, the leader of the Pitt, and get closer to getting the cure" Midea explained

"I understand" Bren said

Midea explained to Bren on how to get to the mill and Bren left the room and walked to the mill. He was ready for anything at this point.

He made it into the mill and walked around and he could see people suffering in pain from labor or illness. This place was a nightmare, and Bren was the only person who could relieve their suffering.

"Hey over here" A voice sounded and Bren could see a man motioning him to come to another room where he handed him an odd weapon, it looked like a prewar weed whacker but the small blades have been replaced with sharp steel blade .

"You must be Marco" Bren said

"Yeah, listen this is an auto axe, should help you with the job. Midea told me to help you, and this is all I can do" Marco said to Bren who was looking over the weapon

"Made it out of car parts" Marco said

"I can see, thanks, and don't worry I'm going to make sure you are all set free" Bren said walking away, he soon made it to a raider who looked at Bren

"You must be the new meat, names Everett" The raider said

"Bren" Bren said

"Right, follow me" Everett said as Bren walked behind him

"Never seen you before, so I assume you don't know the rules" Everett said as they went to another area, Bren could see a pathway made of fencing going though an area and Bren swore he saw something fast move

"What was that?" Bren asked

"Heh, oh you'll find out soon enough" Everett said, "Now once you go into the Steelyard you are not coming back unless you bring me the steel ingots, got it?" Everett asked

"Got it" Bren said and he was forced out into the large yard. Bren could hear the door slam behind him leaving him out here on his own.

"Alright time to find those ingots" Bren thought and he looked around and saw the body of a slave with a backpack, so he figured to check it out first.

"Maybe he has something useful" Bren thought and to his surprise he found in the pack three ingots

"Perfect" Bren thought as he put the pack on and continued onwards, but his excited was short lived when he saw something come out from behind a large abandoned train, it was pale, it was hairless. It snarled at Bren as he backed away slowly.

It gargled something and jumped at Bren who dodged quickly and he revved up the auto axe

"Want to fight, well take this" Bren shouted as he turned the creature into small bits of meat, the auto axe went though the flesh like a Deathclaw's claw through a Molerat. It stood no chance.

"I'm keeping this" Bren thought as he walked up some steps only to hear a man talking to himself.

"Yes I found seven ingots, I need three more, wait what was that?" The voice said turning to Bren's direction and glaring at him, it was a slave and on in his back was an auto axe of his own

"You want my ingots don't you" The slave shouted pointing at Bren

"Wait I don't want them I can find my own, I already found three" Bren said holding his hands up, he didn't want a fight right now but the slave laughed

"Perfect, I can just kill you and take them" The slave said revving his axe up, Bren jumping back as the slave swung at him

"I don't want to fight!" Bren shouted but the slave refused to listen and Bren decided he had no choice, it was kill or be killed at this point

"Alright then, lets fight" Bren said as he revved his own axe up, he was ready to kill the man if he had to

"DIE!" The slave shouted and Bren went to the side where he felt the pain of a slash on his left arm, right above the elbow, he cried out in pain as he dropped the axe and clutched his arm

"Yes, now I get the ingots and get out of this hellhole" The slave said about to send the final blow but Bren drew his pistol and fired twice on the slave

"I'm sorry" Bren thought as the slave fell back, Bren closed the man's eyes and crossed his arms out of respect for the dead and he then took the ingots out of the pack.

After that fight, Bren felt as though he had the skills to use the Auto axe even better, life or death situations can do it to a guy, but now he had the 10 ingots to get out of the steelyard. It was now time to return to Midea and continue the plan…..


	34. Wasteland Life 3: Beyond the Hole

Bren walked to the large metal door and banged on it.

"I have the Ingots" Bren shouted and he could hear the door open and he could see a very surprised Everett looking at him.

Bren dropped the pack of ingots onto the ground and they landed with a clank

"I did it" Bren said and Everett took a moment to look at the bag, then at Bren, then at the bag again.

"Alright kid you did well" Everett said taking the bag, he then handed Bren a slave outfit, but it looked like it seen some hard times

"What's this?" Bren asked

"A Reward, found this on a dead slave, tough guy too. You can have it" Everett said and Bren took it and changed into it. He felt a little stronger in it, maybe it was a mind thing but it made him feel tougher

"Thanks" Bren said walking off; he decided it would be wise to head back to Midea to see what the next part of the plan

He walked back to Midea's home and Midea smiled

"Good. Just in time. Ashur has ordered everyone into the square. Rumor has it that he is going to open up the arena. That's perfect for us." She said

"Arena? Before I go anywhere, you're going to explain this plan to me" Bren said. He needed more details on this plan for this to work out

Midea sighed

"It's simple, really. From time to time, Ashur opens up the arena. Any slave, who wants to, can fight against the gladiators" Midea explained, "If you win, you get your freedom. More importantly: you get an audience with Ashur. It's the only way a slave will ever get to talk to him directly. You fight. You win. And when you talk to Ashur, you take the cure."

"Do I have to kill him to get it?" Bren asked, he wondered if Ashur would just give him the cure….and if Jericho was trying to kick the drinking habit as well.

"I wouldn't shed a tear, but no. Wernher has a….distraction planned. We haven't been making these weapons for nothing you know." Midea said and Bren let out a sigh of relief, as much as he would like to get the cure, killing a person wasn't always his favorite choice.

"But, when you're meeting with Ashur, you'll be close enough to grab the cure. Get, it and bring it to me" Midea added and Bren nodded in agreement

"Now let's get out there and listen to Ashur's speech. There'll be hell to pay if the guards catch us in here" Midea said and they walked out to see a large crowd of slaves and raiders looking up onto some scaffolding where Bren could see a man in what looked like worn out power armor, it seemed like it was repaired with junk and other refuge but he was charismatic, Bren assumed this was Ashur.

The man scanned the area and began his speech, his voice was loud and everyone listened

"Citizens of The Pitt, workers of Downtown, traders of Uptown, and all the fierce souls who do what must be done! I bring you good news! We stand at the dawn of a new golden age. Where others merely survive, we thrive! Our industry is the envy of the Commonwealth! Our Safety is the envy of the Capital Wastes! Our might is the envy of Ronto! And while I have led your efforts, it has been by your own strength that you have earned all of the envy of the world. They envy the steel shaped by the workers in our mills, and they envy the strength of our traders and our raiders who wield that steel for The Pitt. And most of all, they envy our victories in the struggle for freedom. Because, yes, freedom is what we all work towards. Freedom from fear, freedom from disease, freedom to live as once we did before we were shackled by atomic fire! And so, to celebrate this struggle, I ask my loyal workers: who among you is prepared to fight for your freedom? Who among you will risk your life in the crucible to create a new life of freedom in Uptown? Who will take this rare chance to thrive?" He asked after making the speech and Midea Spoke up

"This man will" She said pointing to Bren and Ashur looked down on Midea

"C'mon, Ashur! Will you send someone to the Hole who actually stands a chance?" She asked

Ashur was silent and some of the raiders who were being body guards to him where about to open fire on her for having a smart mouth but Ashur held his hand up and looked at Bren who looked up at him.

"Very well, Midea. If that is the will of the workers, then this man shall be their champion" Ashur called out, he then looked down at Bren again and directed his words towards him

"Sir, you carry not only the dreams that workers can become free, but that we may all someday become truly free from the threat of our world. Prepare yourself, fir. And when you are ready to be forged anew, report to Faydra in the Steel Mill. The Rest of you are dismissed" Ashur said and he walked off with his body guards

"Bren head over to the Hole, don't worry I'm sure you will be fine" Midea said and Bren heard some of the slaves say things like "Good luck" or "Show them hell"

Bren walked into the steel mill and met the raider woman Faydra

"You must be the unlucky scab who goes into the hole" Faydra said to Bren

"Yeah" Bren said

"Good, follow me" She said and Bren followed her into the basement of the Steel Mill where she handed Bren a small 10 mm pistol along with some ammo.

"You take what you can for the fights, but I can provide you with this" She said and Bren examined the weapon, it looked worn out and it looked liked it could break after three shots.

"Uh thanks, so how does this work?" Bren asked

"Simple, you go in, fight some other slaves who want to go further, and we see who lives and dies, oh and try not to take to long, I mean it" She said as she shoved Bren through a door and Bren felt hot in the arena, he realized it must have been from some radiation, that were from some barrels that hung around the hole.

Across from him was a group of slaves who were poorly armed like him and Bren assumed they were not willing to go easy on Bren

"This round, four will enter, but in the end one will leave, take your bets to see who will leave the hole. Open the gates" The announcer said and Bren's gate and the other's gate opened but then the barrels fell to the ground and the radiation got worse, so that's why Faydra told him not to linger too long

Bren held his gun up but the others pointed their own 10 mm, Assault Rifle, and combat shotgun at Bren

"Fuck" Bren thought as he jumped to the side to avoid the shots, he hid behind cover to think of a plan

"Got it" Bren thought and he came out of cover and took a shot at one of the men who fell to the ground, he held a combat shotgun and then Bren fired on the other with the Assault rifle who also fell to the ground dead. The last one dropped his pistol and drew from his back his auto axe, Bren did the same

"Looks like its down to the wire with two Auto axes" The announcer said as Bren and the slave faced off, they circled the arena, feeling the affects of the radiation, this would have to go quickly or both would die here

The slave made the first attack and swung wildly at Bren who dodged the swings and then sent a counter swipe that took the right hand off the slave forcing him to drop the weapon.

"What a stunning move, it would seem he was able to disarm or should I say dis-hand the slave, now finish him" The announcer said and Bren watched the slave struggle to stop the blood flow

"Finish him, Finish him, Finish him…." The crowd above chanted and Bren grabbed his 10 mm, took aim, and shot the man clean through his skull

"In a stunning display of power, this one goes to the next round, leave and prepare yourself for the next match" The announcer said and Bren walked out where Faydra was smiling

"You did good, here let me help you with the radiation" she said injecting Bren with some rad away, Bren felt a lot better

"So who do I face next?" Bren asked

"The Bear Brothers, both of which seem to be good fighter out for freedom, good luck" She said ushering Bren out into the hole again.

Bren could see the two brothers ahead of him, one wore a gauntlet that he could recognize being made of Deathclaw, claw. The other held a flame thrower.

Bren had his work cut out for him

"Its now time for….Bren, that's right, Bren to take on the Bear brothers, Grudd and John, can he take them on, or will he become another victim to their mauling, open the gate" The announcer said and the gate opened up and the barrels fell.

"Brother, roast him alive" John said to Grudd who walked to Bren

"Fuck" Bren swore as he dodged a stream of flame that was directed at him.

He continued to dodge the flames while people watched him suffer

"Looks like things are literally heating up from Bren, but no one has ever survived Grudd's roasting" The announcer said

"Maybe this will help" One of the raiders above said tossing to the ground a combat knife which Bren grabbed, he thought for a moment and smiled, he had a plan to take this man down.

He ran behind cover and then listened for the flames to stop, he then tossed the combat knife into Grudd's leg and he cried out in pain creating the right opening

"Take this!" Bren shouted firing a shot that hit the fuel tank on his back

"What the fu-" He was blown to kingdom come by that move and everyone was astonished by the strategy that Bren did, the knife landed next to Bren's legs and he held it up in front of John

"Bring it on" he said and John glared at him holding the gauntlet up

"With Pleasure" John said and the two faced off, Bren dropped his 10 mm, he wouldn't be able to use it against the armor John was wearing

"DIE!" John shouted swinging his claw around and all Bren could do was try to avoid the swipes

After a few seconds that felt like minutes Bren found an opening and he sent his knife straight into John's left arm

"Damn it" John swore and he swung his right hand (with the claw) onto Bren's right arm but it only went through to the metal bone

"Sorry but this one was custom made" Bren said sending a kick into John's leg knocking him into the ground; he then took the knife out and jammed it into John's neck killing him.

"We have a winner, Bren has surprised the crowd with his display of combat and skill, head on back in for the final round" The announcer said and Bren grabbed the Deathclaw gauntlet and went back out where Faydra smiled even more

"That was impressive, and that move taking out Grudd, never thought of that one, here let me help you with that" She said injecting Bren with more rad away.

"So who is left?" Bren asked putting the gauntlet on his right hand

"Gruber" Faydra said

"Who is he?" Bren asked

"Only a few slaves ever gained their freedom, Gruber enjoyed the hole so he stayed here undefeated" She explained

"Yikes" Bren said

"Well go on in, I'm rooting for you" She said and Bren walked through

"Its time for the final round, Bren VS our Reigning champion, Gruber" The announcer said and the gates opened with the barrels falling and Bren walked out only to feel a shot on his shoulder, he never even heard the shot.

"How the hell?" Bren thought and he saw Gruber's weapon, it was an assault rifle, only it had a silencer on the front

"Of course" Bren thought and he went behind cover

"Come on out, I just want to play" Gruber said, his voice was raspy and dark

Bren thought for a moment and he grabbed some dirt on the floor with his left hand

"Take this" Bren shouted throwing the dirt into Gruber's eyes, he cried in both surprise and pain

Bren then used his gauntlet to do a piecing jab into his chest right through the heart

"I'm sorry" Bren whispered removing his arm, he then took the silenced assault rifle that had the words "Infiltrator" carved into the side

"Bren had done it, he won the tournament. You have won your freedom and your chance to meet our leader Ashur. You are truly a Pitt Fighter, head on out, you are a slave no more" The announcer said

Bren walked out and he was met with boy Faydra and Everett

"Now that was some good work" Everett said and he handed Bren a key

"Your stuff is in that box over there" Faydra explained

"Thanks" Bren said unlocking the crate, all of his stuff was in there and he quickly changed into his 101 Combat armor, he decided to keep the laborer outfit as he called it, as a memento, and the Infiltrator was also a useful weapon alongside his magnum and combat shotgun.

"Head over that way and the guard will let you through, Ashur would love to see you at his place" Everett explained

"Got it" Bren said walking away. He soon left the steel mill and went though the concrete jungle of platforms and old buildings, the raiders gave him congrats and such for his victories and soon Bren came to a large building that had a large statue of a man in chains, he looked like he was in pain and Bren could see it was made of twisted metal and scrap.

"Yikes" Bren thought as he walked past it, he walked into the lobby where a raider directed him to an Elevator where he went further up to see Ashur talking to one of the raiders

"Ashur, I'm a little concerned, some people claim to have seen Wernher, and the slaves have been making weapons, something is going down" The raider said

"Workers…" Ashur said annoyed

"Huh?" The raider asked

"We call them workers, because it gives them hope that they will leave, they are going to leave so they might as well be as happy as they can in this current situation" Ashur explained and the raider grumbled as he walked off

Ashur turned to Bren

"Ah Bren, I have to congratulate you on a job well done. But I have something I need to ask you, now be honest. Have you ever met a man named Wernher?" Ashur asked sternly

Bren sighed, the jig was up

"Yes I have…." Bren braced for impact, or a gun shot, or hell a laser shot

"I see" Ashur said, "Then I should warn you that Wernher can not be trusted….he tried to take something precious to me…." Ashur added sighing

"The cure….I was sent here to take it, so the slaves can be free" Bren explained and the raider guards pulled their guns out but Ashur motioned for them to leave

"Bren, let me explain, I hate slavery as much as you, but this place needs the workers…once I cure everyone, we won't need them….please understand" Ashur explained

"…alright I can believe you I suppose" Bren said, he would rather not get in a fight, besides sneaking out would be easier without raiders on his back

"Because you are being reasonable, I'm going to let you see the cure, head on to the side and you will meet my wife." Ashur was about to continue but the intercom near him fired up

"Sir, you have to come out, the slaves are rebelling" The voice said

"What!?" Ashur asked back to the intercom

"Yeah, they are taking over the place and (the sound of an auto axe can be heard) oh god my leg…." The voice was cut off and Ashur groaned

"I have to go" Ashur said to Bren running out and Bren turned to the side room which he walked into. Bren could see a young woman writing some notes down and muttering some stuff to herself

"If the Chromosome is what causes the resistance perhaps I could-"She looked up and see Bren

"Can I help you?" She asked Bren

"Uh I wanted to see the cure" Bren said

"I wish he wouldn't call Marie that" She said

"Wait the cure has a name….no…..your daughter has an immunity to the disease am I right?" Bren asked, he realized this right at the moment, it made sense now, why Ashur hates Wernher

"You are the first person to ever understand that, other then my husband Ashur….oh I'm Sandra" She said and Bren shook her hand

"Bren" Bren said, "So can I see her" Bren asked

"Sure, just be quiet, she is taking her nap" Sandra said and Bren could see in a cradle a cute baby girl, all wrapped up in the cleanest blankets in this god forsaken town. All asleep and cute Bren smiled. The child woke up and did some cute baby noises

"Would you like to hold her?" Sandra asked

"Can I?" Bren asked

She nodded her head and Bren picked up Marie gently, Marie cooed a bit at Bren who smiled

"So the tests you are doing safe for her?" Bren asked

"Of course, she is the only thing that is immune to the disease, so we have to be really careful with her. Plus she is my daughter" Sandra explained

"Good to know" Bren said, but in his mind he had to make a choice

Take the child….or stop the slaves…..

"I'm sorry" Bren thought

He left the building and when he made it outside Bren could see the rebel slaves making havoc on everything. Bren didn't hold the child with him….he made his choice; it was now time to take down Wernher….


	35. Free Labor

AN: Know what's a good movie? Gamer, if you like shooter games like COD or Halo, I am telling you go see it, or rent it, hell even steal it (not really, seriously don't) but do see it. That's all I got to say, enjoy the last chapter of the Pitt Arc.

Bren walked out of Ashur's building, he had a bone to pick and it was with Wernher, he said there was a cure, he never mentioned it was a child, a baby at that, and now he had to find Midea and get to Wernher

"Got to get to Midea" Bren thought only to be blocked by a group of slaves, all with Auto axes

"Hey its Bren….wait he doesn't have the brat…." One of them said and Bren realized everyone was in on this plan, Bren was out of the loop and now it looks like he was gonna be hunted down by these slaves

"Get him, he is with Ashur" The slave said and they all revved up their auto axes and Bren drew the infiltrator

"I don't want to do this, but you leave me with no choice" Bren said glaring at them, he fired the assault rifle ammo which mowed down the unarmored foes; they fell to the ground dead. Bren shed a tear for them as this was something he never wanted to do.

"Wernher you are going to pay" Bren thought as he continued onwards back to the slave area, he passed by Raiders going into combat with the slaves.

Slaves killed the raiders….

Raiders killed the slaves….

It was a horrible sight for Bren to see, it was almost like a dream, or a nightmare in this case. Was this his fault….his fault for not taking the child….no it wasn't it wasn't his fault, it was Wernher's fault….

Bren made it to Midea's home where she turned to Bren

"You found the cure?" Midea asked and Bren answered with his magnum in her face

"Fucking talk!" Bren demanded, he wasn't playing around and he never got this angry, not since his father died right in front of his eyes, Midea could see the eyes of an angry man and one who would be willing to pull the trigger

"Talk, you knew that the cure was a child" Bren said through his teeth

"I…well I kinda knew" Midea said stammering a bit

"Fucking bitch!" Bren said pushing her down and holding the gun to her head

"You had better fucking tell me everything or I will blow you goddamn head off" Bren threatened, he was like a monster, inside he felt terrible but he knew it had to be done. Wernher had to be stopped at any cost

"Alright, I knew it, but he knew that if he told you….that you wouldn't agree to this, I'm sorry please don't hurt me!" Midea begged and Bren got off of her and put the gun away

"Tell me where Wernher is" Bren said softly, he made his point, no point in trying harder

"The Steelyard, he is in there, expecting the baby….look I'm sorry I put you through this, but we have to get our freedom" Midea said

Bren turned and opened the door

"You will gain your freedom…just wait, and you will be free from this hellhole" Bren said leaving her behind.

Bren made his way into the Mill where hell was being raised loose, Raiders firing shots on the slaves, slaves cutting up raiders. He even saw a man get shoved into a hot furnace meant only for steel. It was a horrible sight to any sane man, but Bren wasn't sane, no he seen hell twice already, this was his third time.

Bren walked through the mayhem, people either didn't notice him or the ones who did seemed to not care but Bren made it into the Steelyard where he could see a signal up around the upper levels of what Bren thought was a large processor

"Time to pay Wernher a visit" Bren thought as he made his way up the stairs and passed a door into the building where he could see a makeshift lab along with a cradle for the baby, Wernher knew about this alright.

"Bren good to see you finally got the cure and….wait no you don't have it…." Wernher said he glared at Bren, "What the fuck are you thinking?" He asked

Bren drew his magnum and aimed it at him

"Talk, you left after trying to take the child huh, you failed top mention that part" Bren said

"Of course I failed to mention it, I knew a goody too shoes wouldn't have the balls to get his hands dirty, so yeah I left that detail out" Wernher said walking towards Bren calmly

"Bren you don't see the big picture, we need that brat in order to bargain for our freedom" Wernher said in a matter of fact tone

"Ashur told me he wants to cure everyone, he meant it" Bren retorted

"Oh really, that's what he said but did he also mention that it was his knife that took this eye?" Wernher asked

"No he didn't" Bren said both seemed to stare each other down

"So what now? You know the story, so what's it gonna be?" Wernher asked

"You will leave this place, now" Bren demanded

"Wrong answer, I'm afraid I worked too hard to leave" Wernher said sending a kick into Bren side knocking him to the ground

"Don't think I'm some nobody, I didn't go through the hole on looks alone, no I killed people…like you" Wernher said running out and Bren groaned and got back up and followed him

"You are not getting away" Bren shouted at Wernher who fired a shot from behind him missing Bren

"I know the steelyard better then you kid, this is my turf" Wernher shouted back as he ran higher and higher onto a large steel walkway, at this point both of them were easily above five stories, maybe higher

Bren looked down to the ground and almost fell from the heights, he has never been this high before, unless you counted the time he got abducted, but if he fell from this height he was dead. He shook off the dizziness and continued up the walkways

"What's the matter kid, afraid of heights, I expected better from you" Wernher said mocking Bren

"Oh yeah how about I-"Bren walked up onto the level ground where a large pit in the middle was, even above that was move walkways. The moment he got back up he was knocked onto his back by a slender piece of metal that was like a staff which was lying around. Wernher had a good swing

"Oh come on, you can't be serious" Wernher said and Bren grabbed his trench knife and got up, they stared at each other and then Wernher made a move. He sent a flurry of metal staff attacks at Bren who countered with his knife.

"Your good, honestly kid I don't see why you don't take over the Wasteland, you got the skills for it" Wernher said mocking Bren

"Yeah unlike you, I was raised right" Bren replied blocking a blow with his right arm and then grabbing the staff

"I see now, automail, that explains a lot" Wernher said letting go of the staff and continuing up the walk ways, Bren follow him still holding the staff

"Bren you may not understand the situation at hand, I'm doing a good thing by freeing the slaves" Wernher said to Bren who followed him

"By stealing a child, I don't think so" Bren shouted back, he was angry at him for this deed, this child to him was nothing but a bargaining chip, to Ashur, she was a hope, a salvation for the future.

They made it to the top platform where Wernher looked down to the ground, no way down at least safely, Bren come up to the top platform.

"It's over Wernher" Bren said drawing his magnum and aiming it at Wernher

"Alright, look I will cut you a deal, 5000 caps to go in and kill everyone" Wernher said

"That's a good offer, I got a better one" Bren said and he shot Wernher in the leg causing him to fall to the ground crying out in pain

"Fine 10000 caps" Wernher offered only to have his other leg shot

"Wernher you used me, you wanted me to kidnap a child….that is something I would rather die then do" Bren said drawing his knife

"Wait we can work something out, I will leave just let me go" Wernher said after he realized this was over

"Too late for that" Bren said stabbing Wernher in the chest with his knife, Bren then kicked him off the edge, his body fell to the ground with a sickening crunch and Bren spat on the ground.

"Time to see Ashur" Bren thought as he made his way back.

Bren returned to Ashur, who was obviously tired, he had a few blood stains on his armor

"Bren you came back, I assume you found Wernher" Ashur asked

"I found him, killed him….I may have come here to stop the slavery but if I had to kidnap a child to do it…." Bren shook his head

"I understand" Ashur said escorting him to his wife who was working with some vials

"Honey did you finish it?" Ashur asked

"Yes dear, I was about to make a batch for him" Sandra said pulling out a syringe and motioning for Bren to sit down

"What's this?" Bren asked

"Your reward" Ashur said and Bren was inject with the drug

"This is the results of our work" Ashur explained to Bren

"It should help with enduring radiation, should be useful for a man like you" Sandra said and Bren turned to Marie who was asleep in her cradle

"Ashur…you really want the slaves to be free?" Bren asked

"Bren, sometimes you have to the bad guy for the greater good, but I promise you, once this cure is out, no one will have to be slaves here" Ashur said

Bren smiled

"Alright Ashur" Bren said walking out of the building

"Good kid, honestly he is going to get far in this world" Ashur said to Sandra

"You think so?" Sandra asked

"Yeah….I think he really is someone who anyone can depend on….any normal person would have taken Marie….but him….he could see the good in the situation" Ashur said looking down at the square where Bren was walking to leave the Pitt.

"Bren, you bear the marks of a true warrior….for that I respect you" Ashur thought as he went back to his work

Bren walked through the main part of the Pitt but instead of the slaves seeing him as a hero they looked at him with loathing and hatred. One even spat on Bren's shoes.

"It's to be expected" Bren thought as he walked out of the Pitt

The raider who first met Bren turned to him

"Oh Bren….I….uh sorry bout earlier" He said rubbing the back of his head

"Yeah about that" Bren said drawing his magnum

"Do that again and you are dead" Bren said glaring at the raider, he gulped as Bren put his gun back in his pocket

"I'm heading out of here" Bren said walking across the bridge, as the mines were not replace he went across much easier then the last time.

"Time to bid this place a goodbye" Bren thought as he walked into the station, to think that he was lied too like this….then again if he didn't stop Wernher someone else would have been picked for this mission….that wouldn't have been good and the outcome may have been different.

Bren made it to the hand cart and he left the Pitt.

It took Bren a little longer to make it back to the Wasteland but he made it back in one piece and he stepped out into the light, he never realized how clean the air was compared to the air in the Pitt. Hard to believe that he almost died in that godforsaken hellhole. But that was the way fate dealt Bren's hand.

Bren walked down the hill only to see an Enclave convoy scouting the area

"Shit" Bren thought, raiders he could handle on his own, but Enclave soldiers were tougher, he hid behind the cover of a large rock and tried to think of a plan to take them out when he noticed something, a figure walking down, he had a large cloak with a hood on it similar to the one that the late Skyler wore.

"Hey who are you?" One of the soldiers asked

"Your worst nightmare" The figure said, his voice smooth and calm, he seemed young, maybe even 16

"What do you mean" The unarmored commander asked and his answer was a 44 magnum in the chest

"I don't play around" The man said and he dodged the laser fire of the soldiers and he sent a side kick into the nearest one's legs knocking him into the ground and then sent a punch into the man's chest, his fist had a gauntlet on it, unlike Skyler's his was a little thicker and had a sort of curve over where the top of the finger's were. The man's armor was dented and Bren could hear him struggle to breath, the armor must have caved into his chest

The other two soldiers seemed worried from the mysterious man

"Who are you?" One of them asked, and the man lowered his hood, the man had dark black hair, short cut and his eyes were dull and dark. He seemed to be age 18. He cracked his neck

"Jacob Vaughton" He said and he sent a punch into another man's chest knocking him into the ground, the shock seemed to make the man die quickly, the third wasn't so lucky, Jacob sent him into the ground and then punched right through the helmet, Bren knew the man was dead and then his eye's widen, he remember that Jacob was the name of Skyler's brother, the man he wanted to kill. This was him?

Jacob scanned the area

"Come on out, I can hear you" Jacob said to Bren from behind his cover, Bren realized he couldn't run so he drew his infiltrator and came out from under cover

"Don't even try to attack me, I'm not here to kill you" Jacob said calmly, his emotions seemed locked, almost like he didn't have any

"What do you want?" Bren asked

"An Answer, I hear rumors of a man who defeated a man that was like an animal….this ring a bell?" He asked pulling out Skyler's gauntlet and throwing it on the ground

Bren's eyes widened

"I see it does seem familiar, if you were the man who killed him, I must say I'm impressed, no one has ever come that close to that and you a normal human did" Jacob said and Bren continued to train his gun on him

"What do you want?" Bren asked again

"I was just around here, looking for the man who killed my brother, these fools were in my way so I killed them" Jacob said looking down at the bodies

"I thought Chimera were apart of the Enclave?" Bren asked

"I left, out of the three of us, I left. Skyler always said he would hunt me down…that was seven years ago I believe" Jacob said turning to leave

"Bren we will meet again, and next time, I will be there to kill you" Jacob said walking off, Bren didn't know what to say but he continued back to his base. It was time to head home. Little did he know that he would be apart of one of the greatest battles to ever hit the Capital Wasteland….


	36. Death From Above

AN: Sorry for the wait, I have been busy, what with college and other things. I also been working on other projects, like my Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 fanfiction. Which follows me and my clan online. But I digress. Sorry to keep you waiting for the next chapter. Hope you can forgive me.

It was noon at the Citadel, Bren had been training for a few days with the Brotherhood in order to increase his skills, so far his skills in hand to hand combat were improving as he was able to use many kicks and punches to take out an opponent with ease. He realized there was a gap between him and other people. Skyler was a monster, and Bren barely beat him and even then it cost him his arm and eye. Jacob was an even calmer monster, but he could tell that not even Bren backed up with everyone could beat him. So he had to get stronger.

Bren grabbed the paladin by his arm and slammed him to the ground winning the sparing match.

Charon grinned, this owner was by far the strongest he ever seen, not just physically but mentally, his previous owners usually used Charon for greed and power, or just plain fear of enemies, but Bren was different, he fought for good and stood on that path.

"Hey Bren might want to rest a bit" Charon said and Bren nodded his head in agreement. He took a bottle of Aqua Pura and downed it quickly. He couldn't stop enjoying the fresh taste of the water.

"So Charon any word on the others?" Bren asked, while he was training here, Rommel took over the protectors. The only other person with him other then Charon was Star Paladin Cross, only because she still had duties to the brotherhood.

"Nothing really, course pretty much everyone in the Wasteland knows about us and you" Charon said pointing to Bren. Bren had a big reputation in the wasteland, and a reputation like that had a few bounties. One of which was from the Talon company for 5000 caps for his head. 7500 if you could somehow get him there alive. Course Bren took out most Talon company members that came for him.

"I see, well I heard the brotherhood is gonna need my help" Bren said finishing another bottle of water. Damn that stuff was good.

Bren and Charon saw Cross walk to them.

"Bren, Charon, Elder Lyon's would like to see you" She said and the duo nodded and followed her into the Citadel. They soon met up with the Elderly man.

"Bren it is good to see you at this moment" He said motioning them to sit down.

"So what is the problem?" Bren asked

"As you are aware of, since the destruction of Raven Rock, and the fall of President Eden, we have been defeating the scattered Enclave troopers. However our recon troops had found a base where Enclave troops have taken refuge" Lyons explained

"Let me guess, you want me to assist them" Bren said and Lyons nodded his head I agreement.

"We know it is a Satellite Relay station, if we control it, we might be able to find the rest of the Enclave Troops" Lyons said

"Right, so I will get my squa-"Bren was cut off

"I'm afraid we don't have time to find them" Lyon's said

"I see, so Cross and Charon shall follow me then" Bren said and the other two nodded

"Very well then, we need you to leave in an hour with the next company of troops, and Bren, please be careful" Lyons said and Bren nodded heading into the barracks.

Charon followed Bren inside while Cross went to the other troops to talk to them.

"So Charon, I have a question for you" Bren said removing his armored vault uniform, leaving him in his boxers

"What's that Bren?" Charon asked

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to leave" Bren said putting on his personal Power Armor uniform, the one painted blue with the yellow 101 on the back

"What do you mean?" Charon asked not understanding the question

Bren picked up his infiltrator and magnum, since the Pitt, he replaced his shotgun for the silenced Assault rifle; he found the power and precision made it a better weapon, and being silenced a better tool.

"What I mean is, do you want your freedom?" Bren asked

"I…." Charon didn't know what to say, Bren went into his pack and pulled out a worn sheet of paper, the contract that belonged to Charon.

"Take it, I don't want you to follow me because you have to, I want you to follow me because you want to" Bren said as Charon took the paper in his hands. He stared at it for a few seconds and turned to Bren

"Bren, you are a good man, a normal person would have kept me for their personal gain, all you did was help people." Charon said smiling, he then took the contract and tore it up into pieces

"Thanks to you, I now have true freedom, and for that I will follow you" Charon said and Bren and the ghoul shook hands.

"Charon it is good to have you fighting along side me" Bren said as he picked up the helmet and walked out with Charon

Bren and Charon met up with the other Brotherhood members, they were glad to have "The Lone Wanderer" working with them, and their moral was at a peak.

"Lets go men, we have a lot of ground to cover" Bren said to the squad and the walked out towards the Southwest corner of the Wasteland.

It took them five hours to make it down, as Bren decided to take routes that wouldn't endanger them, meaning Super Mutant camps. They were brotherhood but they needed to be in top shape to fight the Enclave.

They made it to the Rockland Car Tunnel where they were greeted by none other then Rommel

"Rommel what are you doing here?" Bren asked, he thought Rommel was away on a mission

"The mission you sent us on was completed earlier but we found some dead Enclave solider in our base, thank god Fawkes was around to kill them or we would have been caught in an ambush. I found the information on one of them about this area and how all Enclave needs to be there" Rommel explained

"I see, so you came here" Bren said

"Yeah, met up with the Brotherhood so I helped them get inside, you be surprised how easy it is to hack a turret and set it to only attack Enclave" Rommel said laughing

"I hear that" Charon said grinning as they walked inside. Bren could see Enclave soldiers stripped of their armor and put into a pile of body, the weapons and armor were laid out while brotherhood members examined them.

"Good thing I came, or else they would have had a hell of fight" Rommel said, it was true not many Enclave officer's knew about Rommel's defection of the Enclave, and they believed him to still be apart of the Enclave. Course now he was working with the brotherhood.

"So what's the plan?" Bren asked Rommel

"The higher ups filled me, in, it's a simple attack, we go in, kill every Enclave soldier….other then me, and we get the data" Rommel said

"Good thing we have that Liberty Prime to back us up" Cross said to them and they agreed, the brotherhood used to have problem with Vertibirds but now with Liberty Prime backing them up, they stood a chance.

The group took the rest of the day and night to rest and prepare and in the morning it was time for the battle to start.

"Alright guys, lets go in and show them the true strength of the Wasteland" Bren said and that boosted the moral of the group and they charged out of the tunnel behind him. Bren could see the large robot Liberty prime marching towards the enemy as well

_"EMBRACE DEMOCRACY, OR YOU WILL BE ERADICATED."_ The Robot shouted at the Enclave soldiers, who didn't stop to question it, instead they fired fruitlessly at him only to be destroyed by its laser eyes.

"Jeez that thing is strong" Bren said as he pulled out a frag grenade and tossed it, taking out two Enclave soldiers

Charon fired a few shots at another taking him out. Cross fired her laser pistol and took down an Enclave soldier. The group refused to go down without a fight.

"Come on we are almost there" Rommel said but then he looked up and his eyes widened

"Oh fuck" Rommel said when he realized what it was

Liberty Prime was hit by a large missile taking out not only it, but many brotherhood and Enclave alike.

Liberty Prime still was working but barely, it dragged itself on the ground and said, "_I….will…..fight…..them….until….my….last….br…r…r..eath….." _and the machine's eyes powered down and it went silent.

"I can't believe they would do that" Rommel said helping Bren up

"Come on we still have a mission to do" Rommel said looking around, he saw a large hole in the side of the large base. He could also count about 10 troops left

"Listen up everyone, me, Bren, Charon, and Cross will go in, everyone regroup" Rommel said and they nodded and murmured in agreement

"Come on" Charon said dusting himself off, him and Cross thankfully were not in the blast zone of the Orbital Bombardment.

The four went through the opening and found a large tunnel filled with rubble

"Come on" Rommel said walking ahead, Bren was behind him with Charon then Cross following them.

"Hold on" Rommel said looking around the corner, he saw three Enclave soldiers and a turret awaiting anyone to come

"Time to try this new tool out" Rommel said pulling out what looked like a heavily modified plasma grenade

"Where did you get that?" Bren asked pointing to it

"Got some from Moira" Rommel said tossing it around the corner. What happened next surprised everyone, the blast radius was at least two time larger, Bren could feel the heat from the wave. The soldiers and turret were piles of green goo after that and all Rommel could say was, "How she comes up with these inventions is beyond me" Rommel said as they walked past the piles of former Enclave.

They walked up and went past a door where they were met up by an Enclave commander who was surprised

"Damn it" He said pulling out a plasma pistol but Bren shot it out of his hand with his magnum

"I wouldn't do that" Bren said to him, "Now then, would you be so kind as to tell us where the Satellite uplink terminal is" Bren requested in a somewhat kind tone.

The commander pointed upwards and Bren nodded his head. Charon then shot the man's head off with his shotgun, spraying blood all over the consoles.

"Was that necessary?" Bren asked Charon

"Hey, those bigots deserved to die, present company excluded" He said

"Right" Rommel said, he still had to watch what he said to the ghoul, lest he becomes a target for that shotgun

They continued upwards where they were spotted by some Enclave soldier

"Their they are, blast them" One of them said but Rommel already shot him down with his Novasurge.

"Too slow" Rommel said as they tore up the soldiers. Bren ran up and knocked a soldier to the ground and shot him multiple times in the chest with his infiltrator.

"Bren your back" Charon called out shooting a soldier in the head with his shotgun.

Bren grabbed his trench knife and slammed the knuckles into the man trying to flank him. He then pulled his helmet up and slashed his throat.

Cross supported Rommel's back as he fired his Novasurge at the troops and soon they finished them all off.

"Alright, that wasn't too difficult" Bren said removing his helmet and walking over to the other area where the terminal was. Bren looked at the screen and began typing on the keys and looking at the data.

"Alright let's see, no no, yes, no yes got it." Bren said downloading the information onto his Pipboy. He couldn't understand the data.

"Hey Rommel can you make heads or tails of this?" Bren asked

"Sorry I was never good with this kind of stuff, I never had to encryption while I was in the Enclave. We should still take it bake to the Citadel, they will want to know what happened anyway" Rommel said and they made their way out of the base.

They made it back to the Citadel and made it to Scribe Rothchild.

"….and so that's what happened" Bren said finishing explaining what happened

"I see…it is sad to lose such a powerful weapon but we have the data we need." He said taking a copy of the data from the Pipboy

"I think Elder Lyons wishes to see you" He said working on his terminal and Bren nodded his head to his friends, they went into the barracks while Bren walked to Lyons personal study. He saw the elderly man typing on a terminal.

"Ah Bren, so good to see you are all right" Lyons said and Bren nodded

"We lost a powerful ally in that fight" Bren said noting Liberty Prime, he was a soldier like the rest of them and he died honorably.

"I know, we are running out of ideas, we need more help in these matters" Lyons said to Bren

"What do you mean?" Bren asked wondering why he was called to him.

"Bren are you aware of the Brotherhood Outcasts?" Lyons asked him

"No" Bren said hearing about them for the first time.

"The Outcasts as they call themselves are Brotherhood members who left us, and it's my fault. I came here for technology, but instead I saw the plight of the super mutant and Enclave so I changed our goal to fight to defend the people of the Wasteland" Lyons explained

"So why did they leave?" Bren asked

"They said I strayed from the true ideals of the Brotherhood, to find the weapons of the past and to further aid the rest of the Brotherhood in California….Bren I want you to find them and convince them to help us, we will need their help for us to win this battle" Lyons said to Bren.

"Alright I will try" Bren said shaking his hand

"Thank you" Lyons said and Bren left the room and went to the Barracks where he changed into his Armored Uniform. He met the others out in the courtyard listening to Three Dogs on a nearby radio.

"….and so then Bren pressed the button in the irradiated chamber where he died, but get this, he came back. I'm not kidding, maybe he is a savior or some kind of son of God. Either way if you see him ask him what heaven was like for me. Thanks for listening children, this is Three dogs, hoow" The Radio said and some old music played.

"Hey Bren, so what's the next plan?" Rommel asked

"We need to get the Outcasts to help us out against the Enclave" Bren explained

"Ah the Outcasts, gonna be hard to convince them" Cross said to Bren.

"Yeah, but…huh?" Bren said finding out he had a signal on his Pipboy.

"What the heck?" Bren said adjusting the dials a bit. He then heard the sound of a man on the Pipboy.

"This is Defender Morrill, any Outcasts listening on this frequency report to sector 7-B, Bailey's Crossroads. This is a high-priority message, backup is needed at our location. Any personnel listening on this frequency please report at once."

The message then repeated and Bren smiled.

"Seems I found a way to get them to help" Bren said marking the location on the map.

"Guys head back to base, I will meet you there later" Bren said

"Wait why?" Rommel Asked

"An Enclave, a Brotherhood, and a ghoul walks into an area full of Outcasts, the Outcasts look at them and then open fire" Bren said like it was a joke, but he was serious.

"I'm going alone, I will meet you back at base" Bren said walking out of the Citadel.

AN: Right right, now then I plan to do the next Chapter in Operation Anchorage, that's right. However I do not know when I will update so once again sorry for taking so long. I hope this makes it up to you.


	37. Aiding the Outcasts

AN: As you may be well aware of I'm doing the Operation Anchorage, and after that I will head back into Broken Steel. This is kinda filler to explain how you could do Broken steel in a short time. I mean it's a war for crying out loud. Anyway enjoy.

Bren walked through the Wasteland; it wasn't too hard to find his way to Bailey's Crossroad as this area was pretty open. Lack of buildings made it so raiders or Talons couldn't ambush him. And it was noon when he left so he had a lot of light to travel by. Soon he saw the door leading inside into the metro station; he turned on his Pipboy light and looked around inside.

"Alright this seems to be the place" Bren thought and he stepped on an old box of Sugar bombs and he heard the gargling sound of a ghoul

"Fuck" Bren thought grabbing his infiltrator and aiming it ahead of him.

"Come on out" Bren said to himself and he then felt a blow to his side and was on the ground being clawed at.

A ghoul had snuck around him and jumped him from his side.

"Damn it get off" Bren grunted punching the ghoul in the face and rolling to the side and grabbing his assault rifle that he dropped and firing upon the body

"Fucking ferals" Bren muttered spitting out some blood. He knew that the scuffle would attract some attention of other ghouls but he kept going on through the tunnel and he saw two more ferals sniffing the air, most likely looking for Bren.

"See you in hell" Bren thought taking aim with the infiltrator, he fired the shots and the ghouls were out like a light. He smiled, ever since he has been using this gun, he found its power was much more powerful then the normal assault rifle, and yet being silenced made it even deadlier. He knew this was the right weapon for this situation.

As he continued further he could hear the sound of a battle up above

"Show time" Bren thought running up, he held his infiltrator up ready for anything and the moment he stepped out he saw something land right next to him, it was a head, a head with power armor. The helmet unlike the Brotherhood was a blackish red. He assume it was an outcast

"That's harsh" Bren thought running up the stairs, he could see a couple of the power armored men firing their laser weapons at three super mutants who were in what Bren assumed, a hollowed out house. Bren could also see the corpses of both mutant and outcast, the outcasts had more fallen ones.

"Alright, time for you to say your prayers" Bren thought pulling out a frag grenade. He pulled the pin and threw it where the mutants were taking cover; they were surprised to see the device because they never noticed Bren in the direction he was in.

The two of the mutants were blown up in a beautiful explosion of the frag grenade, the third was barely alive on the ground and Bren took a few shots with his infiltrator, ending his life.

The outcasts turned to Bren and one of them walked over to him and looked him over.

"Well judging by your appearance I would say you are no ordinary wastelander" The man said

"I'm Bren, you must be Morrill" Bren said extending his hand

"Sorry I don't care if you're the Lone Wanderer, you shouldn't be here" Morrill said not shaking his hand, Bren was surprised by his rudeness, that and the fact that he was the Lone Wanderer, he figured not to say it or else he might be shot for "lying."

"Hey I just saved your life, and I came to help" Bren said annoyed

"How, I thought we were only using special frequencies" Morrill said surprised

"My Pipboy picked it up, so I figured I help" Bren said, he thought it would be smart not to mention the brotherhood at this point.

"Alright alright, follow us, but be careful, those mutants are tougher then the average ones outside of here" Morrill said and he and the other two followed him with Bren behind them. Morrill grumbled something about how he didn't want to make a grave for the local.

Bren followed them into what looked like an old office complex, only it was hollowed out like other buildings before it.

"Stay alert" Morrill said scanning the area, but then a flash of light lit up with a loud laser shot was heard and the man next to him fell to the ground

"Clayton, you ok?" Morrill asked the man

"Ohhh" Clayton groaned

"Careful now" Morrill said

Bren helped the man up and noticed three burn marks on the chest, all in a triangle shape.

"What the heck?" Bren thought, he never saw laser scorch marks like this

"Hey Morrill the laser shots are in a triangle shape" Bren said, he had to tell him

"Triangle shape, impossible, I only heard one shot" Morrill said looking around and then Bren saw it. He saw a super Mutant, only instead of the normal looking mutant (if you can call them normal) it was a taller one, Bren could see veins sticking out of his arms, he was a more powerful one known as an overlord.

"You….die….NOW!!!" The Overlord shouts and he held his weapon, it looked like a laser Gattling gun but when it fired, three shots came out.

"Fuck" Morrill swore as they dodged the laser fire. They were under cover but the blasts of the tri-beam laser as Bren called it, were beginning to wear out the cover

"Damn it, we can't get stopped at this point" Morrill said, he groaned clutching his shoulder, got a blast and he could feel the heat coming off it. It did not feel good.

"Sir, how do we take on these monster?" One of the outcast asked. He seemed scared

"I don't know, that thing knows how to fight, and that's bad" Morrill said firing a few shots from his laser rifle, only to have the shots miss

Bren looked around the area and saw a ventilation shaft large enough for him to get in.

"Bingo" Bren thought opening the cover and crawling in

"Where the hell is he going?" One of the outcasts asked and Morrill just grumbled, "Good riddance"

Bren crawled through the vents with only one thing in mind, beat that mutant.

"Now I know what a prewar T.V. dinner feels like" Bren said to himself with a slight chuckle. Soon he made it around the area and he used the butt of the infiltrator to open the cover. He saw the mutant in front of him firing a few shots at the, "Puny humans" and he drew his trench knife.

"Take this" Bren cried out and he stabbed the mutant in the back, only to have it turn around and smack Bren onto the ground.

"That HURT!!!" It shouts and it grabbed a nearby sledge hammer and swings down on Bren

"Fuck" Bren thought rolling out of the way, he rolled around twice avoiding the swings and he got back up on his feet.

"Damn" Bren thought moving back, the overlord looked at him and grinned, it knew Bren was scared

"You will make good FOOD!!!" It shouts at Bren and it lunged at him, Bren side stepped and fired three shots from his magnum into its chest.

"THAT HURT!!!" It shouts and it slammed Bren onto the ground and held him down. He began to squeeze Bren's neck and he was running out of air, no that wasn't what the mutant was trying to do, it was trying to break his neck.

But then a wave of laser shots fired through the air and the mutant backed away

"Get up local and fight" Morrill said and Bren caught his breath and he pulled out his infiltrator and stared at the mutant. Both him and the overlord faced each other and Bren fired a barrage of bullets into its chest and head. It was dead from the burn and bullet wounds of Bren and the outcasts.

"Oh man, I never want to see one of those again" Bren said pulling out the trench knife and flicking the blood off of it.

"Local…er Bren, I don't know whether you're the dumbest or the bravest wastelander, but either way you are alright" Morrill said as they continued onwards and soon they made it to the base, or at least the top of the base.

"Alright, hold on" Morrill said to Bren and he went onto his Com link, "Yeah, this guy is good, maybe he could be on the one. He has a Pipboy on….alright I will send him down" Morrill said to the man on the other line.

He turned to Bren

"Alright, head on down, through the elevator, go to Protector McGraw, he will explain everything. Oh and thanks for the help…I suppose" Morrill said turning to go back to his patrols.

Bren took the elevator down and when he went closer to the bottom he heard a conversation.

"I'm just saying, why don't we just kill him and take the Pipboy for ourselves"

"No, we have orders from….McGraw to bring this one to him, just remember the plan"

Bren came to the bottom floor and he saw a man in the power armor looking at him

"Hey I'm-" Bren was cut off by the man holding his rifle up

"No talking, and follow me" The man said and Bren gulped and nodded his head, what was the Outcast's problem? He followed the man past some devices and a large door that had a terminal next to it.

Soon they came to an office where a man who seemed young and smart looked up from a desk, unlike the others who kept their helmets on, his was removed and he had a military shaved head. He smiled at Bren

"Brought the local McGraw" The man said

"That will be all Defender Sibley" McGraw said and Sibley walked off, McGraw walked up to Bren and looked him over

"Hmm, interesting. Yes you may be the one" McGraw said muttering to himself.

"Uh you wanted to see me?" Bren asked

"Yes, I'm told you helped my men, for that I thank you, but what brings a man like you to this area?" McGraw asked

"Well I'm not going to lie, the Brotherhood sent me" Bren said and McGraw sighed

"Really now, you know a normal Outcast would have shot you for that, but I'm a little more tolerant, now tell me why did they send you?" McGraw asked

"They need help, elder Lyons told me that he needed the Outcast's help against the Enclave" Bren explained

"Heh, Lyons is still kicking huh. Well I suppose I could send some men….but I need your help, are you aware of the battle against Communism back in 2065?" McGraw asked

"Huh?" Bren said, being from the Vault he never really did learn much that happened during the Vault years. All he knew was pre-bombing history and current history of the Wasteland.

"I thought so, you see after the bombs fell, America still fought the communists, and it would seem we stumbled upon a cache of weapons and armor, useful to the Steel…" McGraw sat down and sighed

"Let me guess, something is blocking you from getting them" Bren said

"A military simulation, a recreation of the Battle to reclaim Anchorage, we did some tests and found only certain computer systems would work with the simulation, meaning your Pipboy there" McGraw explained

"I see, but is there anything else I should know?" Bren asked

"First off, once your in, your in until the end, and if you go in and die, game over. You die for real" McGraw said

"Oh, so that explains a lot" Bren said

"Listen, you seem like a nice guy, so I'm gonna let you decide, you can leave now and I will make sure you don't get shot at, but if you go in and help us unlock the cache's not only will I provide troops and convince my fellow outcasts to help, I will provide you with weapons and armor from the cache" McGraw said and Bren held out his hand and shook his hand with McGraw

"Right go find specialist Olin, she will be in the simulation room, and do be careful" McGraw said and Bren walked out and past a room where Bren could see from an open door, the corpse of a Gary clone, his right arm had been severed and Bren had a feeling how they got the tests done.

He walked in to see a woman with a long black robe on, writing some notes on paper and Bren cleared his thought a bit and she turned around.

"Oh you must be the next subject, right lets get down to business" She said in a serious tone and Bren sighed

"Alright, but could you explain a little to me, I'm not the best with virtual systems" Bren said and she sighed

"Right, first off, we need you to put on the neural interface suit here, and with it, you go into the egg shaped device in middle there. Then you will be transported into the virtual world.

"Great, I'm just praying creepy girls aren't in there" Bren muttered and Olin was confused

"Pardon?" She asked

"Nothing" Bren said and he cleared his throat again and Olin realized what he meant

"Oh sorry" She said turning around blushing, Bren quickly changed into the suit, felt pretty skin tight and Olin turned back around.

"Alright, I'm opening the pod" Olin said pressing a few keys on a terminal. The pod opened up and Bren stepped inside and laid back

"Don't worry about a thing, I personally made sure it is 98.3 percent safe" She said pressing a few more keys and the pod closed around Bren

"I hope the 1.7 percent doesn't happen" Bren thought as he was engulfed in a white light and soon felt the feeling of being spun around while at the same time dropped at 10,000 feet.

He blacked out

"Hey get up soldier, we need to show these communist bastards whose boss"

AN: Yep I'm in Lyoko….I mean Operation Anchorage. Man this is gonna be good.


	38. Filler: Behind the Fallout

AN: Alright I'm sorry for not updating…this is pretty much a filler episode until the next chapter….

"Welcome to Behind the Fallout"

"The Wasteland life, a story about one man who leaves Vault 101 for his own story and adventure"

Shows Bren sitting on a chair under a box with his name appears below him

[Bren Tenkage, Writer, Actor, somewhat crazy]

"Bren tell us, why did you make the Wasteland Life?"

"Well to be honest I first had another project, the Wanderings of the 101 Member….let me tell you looking back it wasn't so good, but it was the foundation for this project" Bren explained

"Right so what happened to the first story?"

"Taken down, it was getting bad reviews, so I rewrote the story so it looked and went through better" Bren said, "I'm pretty glad I did do that, looking back at the original, it didn't flow well, the characters a little off, but hey it was start"

It now shows Rick in his power armor sitting down in a chair and his name said [Rick, Former Brotherhood Member]

"Yeah I was picked to be the mentor figure, Bren needed a guy who was pretty much wise to the Wasteland and smart….the original figure Shogo was good but I got picked for some of my good charms" Rick explained

Went back to Bren

"Rick was a good person to work with, his death was tough to do and write but I made him look tough in the end" Bren said

"The Wasteland life didn't always focus on Bren's adventures, it also had an impressive cast of people, from side characters to just the people in the background"

Shows a Raider sitting down, his name box read [Lance Fraden, Raider]

"Yeah so when I'm asked to play the raider on set I was so happy, I called my mom up and told her I'm in a good project, albeit gonna get shot but still I was happy to be in something this big" He said

"Really what happened to you in your scene?"

"Lost all my limbs and got blow up by a grenade" He said

Moves back to Bren

"So tell me, what was it like to be the Lone Wanderer?"

"The lone Wanderer was a tough role to play, because the original had his own personality, he was good, and evil. I wanted a kind role but I shown moments where he was dark and that was tough to do" Bren explained, "I mean if I'm going to play a protagonist, I have to be the good guy, but if I continue to be goody goody, that gets stale after a while" Bren said nodding his head

Shows the Overseer, his name tag read [Alphonse Almodovar, Overseer]

"Oh Bren was a great actor, gave me chills in the spine when he read his lines, I knew I wasn't really dead but Bren was good enough to make me feel like I was dead" The Overseer said, his uniform had a red stain over where his heart would be.

Shows Moira, her name tag was [Moira Brown, crazy woman, Alien?]

"Oh Bren was such a nice person, he helped me with my book and get the research I need for some of my chapters" Moira said in her bubbly attitude.

"Uh but aren't you an actor?"

"Actor? No I'm a merchant in Megaton, I also write books and make new inventions" Moira said still oblivious to the off screen man

Goes to Bren

"Yeah Moira is a few bullets short of a clip but she was alright during the filming….still I worry about her" Bren said

Back to Moira and it shows her reading a book

"Says here that the human head can remain active 15 to 20 seconds after beheading….interesting" Moira said

It shows Charon in a seat, the box said [Charon, Ghoul, Bodyguard]

"I was working with Bren in the original script, I pretty much meet him the same way, and boy did I enjoy killing my former boss" Charon said grinning

"But wasn't that just a scene?"

"…sure lets go with that" Charon said

It shows a feral ghoul sitting down, his box read [Feral Ghoul, Feral Ghoul]

It spoke in a polite accent, "Working with the crew was a lot of fun, after every scene was done, we would just have a nice meal together and talk about what we liked the best"

"What did you like best about filming?"

"Killing the bystanders" The ghoul replied

It then shown Bren again

"Everyone is a good actor, course some of them are a bit crazy, notably Moira but if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have a good story" Bren said smiling

"What was your favorite scene?"

"Out of all the moments in the story I got to say the fight between Skyler and Rick" Bren said

It shown Skyler in his seat his name box said [Skyler, Enclave Chimera]

"Bren had at least five different scenes, three of them in different locations for the fight. One method of finishing the fight was going to take place in an old car garage where he would blow up a couple of cars taking out the building. Course this would take place in a different time of the story." Skyler said

It went back to Bren

"I would have done that but the fact was, I needed the viewers to feel my pain as I lost a friend along with my father all within the same day" Bren said

It went to Skyler

"Of course I survive to come back later but Bren figured it would be a good way to make the viewer wonder if I survived." Skyler said

It then shows McCready with his name box saying, [McCready, foul mouthed kid]

"Oh Bren may have been a fucking mungo but he was a good mungo. Got me plenty of treats and money for my acting and he got a good person for his scene" He said

"Really, what did you like about the filming?"

"Getting the fucking treats of course" McCready said

"Yes The Wasteland Life is most certainly a tale of adventure, loyalty and plenty of fights. But lets not forget who helped fueled the inspiration to keep going. That's right the loyal viewers are what kept Bren going in hard times to create this tale"

"Next time on Behind the Fallout…."

Shows Bren face palming

"No for the last time, I'm not in love with Sierra Petrovita" Bren said annoyed.

AN: Sorry but hey I'm still having trouble with the next chapter….so hope you forgive this


	39. The plan of attack

AN: Forgive me for taking so long to update this one. I've been working on other works, but now that I'm on my summer break, I will be able to update more and more. Thanks for remaining loyal despite this long wait. Really I'm sorry. I want to get the main story done before New Vegas gets out at least. Man, I'm really sorry. To be honest Operation Anchorage is the toughest thing to write as it is too linear, no point of me being good or evil in this simulation. Seriously tough to write so to be honest I will be skipping a lot of the operation in favor of showing the story of what's going on outside of the place. Don't worry the beginning and the end will be done, it's the linear run and gun places with really no story that I will be skipping. Very sorry to those who like that kind of stuff but no I can't do it.

Bren groaned as he got up, it was cold and he looked around, he seemed to be in a snow covered cliff side. This was a surprise to the former Vault Dweller as he had only seen snow in books and old slides from the projectors.

"Solider you ok?" a voice asked him.

Bren turned to the voice and it was a man

"Yeah just a little dizzy" Bren said looking around some more

The man spoke up

"I'm Sergeant Benjamin Montgomery, in case you forgot soldier" He said

"Right sorry, what was my job again?" Bren asked rubbing his head

Benjamin sighed

"Rookies" He muttered, "Alright pay attention, we are in Anchorage Cliffs where we got a whole stronghold of Commie bastards, since you and I are the only two soldiers here, we got to pull our weight even more. The objective is to destroy the Artillery which has been tearing up our troops." He explained

"Alright, go in, kill troops, and destroy the guns, got it" Bren said nodding his head

"Right, I'm gonna go on ahead, you take the cliff side, and remember, this ain't a game, so be careful" He said going into his pack and pulling out some climber picks, he then began to climb the cliff wall leaving Bren alone.

"Right…." Bren muttered looking around, he found a nearby pack (complete with the US Flag sewn onto the side) and he looked over his weapons, a Trench Knife, a silenced 10MM Pistol, a stealth boy unit, and the three explosive charges needed for the mission.

Bren looked at himself; it would seem he was materialized into the world in some winter combat armor, not unlike Elliot's back on the Alien Ship.

"Better get going" Bren said putting his knife at his side along with his pistol.

He carried the pack on his back and didn't feel too much weight; thank goodness it was built to make sure the soldier could move easily in the snowy environment.

Bren walked along the cliffs and then stopped; he noticed a lot of Chinese Soldiers patrolling the cliffs

"One, two, three, four…five" Bren thought counting them off, this could be a problem if one of them notices him and alerts the others, he could even see one of them had a sniper rifle, not good odds for him with nothing but a pistol and knife.

Bren crouched down and slowly moved his way to the nearest soldier who hadn't noticed him, he was looking around the cliffs admiring the view but was cut off by Bren covering his mouth and stabbing him in the back.

Bren noticed the body disappearing instead of lying around so he couldn't take any guns or tools off it.

"Guess I'm stuck with what I get" Bren thought continuing to go up the cliff path but then gun shots rang out and Bren was nearly shot in the head, two Chinese soldiers had noticed him from the walk ways and Bren went behind cover of some nearby crates of what he assumed was ammo or other supplies.

Bren peered from behind cover and he noted the location of the snipers. This wouldn't be easy, but then he had an idea. He set his helmet on top of the barrier and then got out of sight. A few moments later he heard another gun shot and the helmet went down. He smiled; now someone would go down to confirm the kill. He put the helmet back on and laid down on the ground like he was dead.

"这被证实死亡。"Bren heard and then he felt a hand touch his back. Bren spun around and drew his trench knife and slammed it into the Chinese soldier's chest.

The soldier fell to the ground and Bren watched as the corpse disappeared.

"One down one to go" Bren thought continuing across the cliff side.

He made his way up into a small base where he saw the other sniper sitting on a chair, he was on a nearby terminal typing something down when Bren covered his mouth and stabbed the knife into his neck killing him.

"Two down, and what's this" Bren said looking at a nearby Chinese Assault rifle.

"This is gonna make this a lot better" Bren thought.

00000

Back in the Super Duper Mart, Rommel and Cross where looking over a map of the Wasteland. The others were sitting nearby listening

"alright, lets see, according to my information, all the Enclave troops are getting a signal to head to this area" Rommel said to the group as he pointed outside of the Wasteland.

"What's that?" Alex asked

"Adams Air force base, the Enclave took over the base a few years back before we took Raven Rock. We stored plenty of weapons and armor their in case of an attack." Rommel explained

"I see, so how are we going to take this place?" Cross asked, "We have plenty of Brotherhood but that won't be enough for a full scaled assault"

"She is right, the Enclave has many defenses here" Fawkes said looking over the map.

"That's why we need an army to overtake the Enclave. We need more then just Brotherhood and Outcasts. We need other allies" Rommel said

"I could get some of my old buddies to help. Enclave and Raiders never seen eye to eye" Jericho said

"The slavers could help us" Clover said, "We stock pile plenty of weapons just in case" She added

"The ghouls of Underworld have always had problems with the Enclave, Brotherhood at least looks at us before making sure we aren't a threat" Charon said nodding his head

"My family back in Point Lookout could be a help" Alex said, "We always help those in need if they are friends" Alex said

"Yes, if we could get the help we need, we might have a chance. But the important thing is to find the man who is running the show" Rommel said

"What do you mean?" Cross asked

Rommel sighed

"Eden is gone, I saw him deactivate himself and take out Raven Rock with him, Bren killed my brother as well. So tell me, how is the Enclave still being run?" Rommel asked

Elsewhere, inside a large base, a man in power armor, similar to that of the late Skyler was sitting at a desk; across his left eye were a long scar and two smaller ones running on each side of it.

An Enclave soldier walked in

"President Leon, I have grave news, the lone wanderer has been seen going into the Outcast base, we believe he is helping them obtain powerful weapons" The soldier said

The president was silent

"Sir?" The soldier asked but then he saw Leon get up and walk to him

"I'm afraid I don't like bad news" He said calmly, and then drew from his side his sword, it was like a Katana but on the hilt was the emblem of the Enclave.

"Wait sir please don't I-"The soldier tried to plead but it was too late, the sword went through the man's armor and pierced the heart of the poor man.

Leon pulled the sword out and wiped the blade clean of blood with a nearby handkerchief. At the tip of the sword you can see a Deathclaw, claw. The claw ran from the tip to the length of the sword, fused into the metal so it can pierce the heart of any unfortunate foe.

"Unlike my traitor brother and my weakling brother. I am the best. I will bring back the Enclave's power and control the wasteland" He said calmly. He went to his desk and turned on a switch

"Lauren, please take Mr. Anderson out of my office, I'm afraid he expired" He said in his calm tone.

The scene moves back to Rommel who looked over the plans.

"So while Bren is gone we need to gain allies. When do you think the attack will happen?" Rommel asked Cross

"A few months, we need time to plan and gain help." Cross said

"Right, I'm going to head home to get my family's support" Alex said

"I will head over to the Evergreens Mill. Figure the raiders there would listen to me since I'm similar to them" Jericho said

"I'm going to head over to Underworld. Find any ghoul willing to fight for this cause" Charon said

"I suggest we create a militia at Megaton and Rivet City Commander" RL said to Rommel

"I agree, we have plenty of guns to give to everyone. But we need Bren back here in order to garner the support of the slavers in Paradise Falls or the Pitt for that matter." Rommel said looking over some other maps.

"What about the Super Mutants?" Butch asked

"What about them?" Rommel asked

"Couldn't they be a help?" Butch asked

"I suppose, but I doubt they would listen to reason" Rommel said

"I think I can persuade them, I am a meta human like them. It is possible for them to ally themselves with us, if only to take over the base as a new home" Fawkes said

"That could work. Not only would it solve the super mutant problem here in the Wasteland but it would give them a reason help us against a common enemy" Rommel said holding his chin in thought

"I agree, my meta human brothers fight to survive, if they can find a safe place from the Brotherhood then they would be willing to at least agree to that" Fawkes said

"That could work, but we would need to find a lot of Super Mutants for this plan to work, and for that matter find a way to get them to even listen to you" Rommel said

"Back in vault 87, there are plenty of meta humans inside, I think I could convince them to help us" Fawkes said

"Good luck big guy, you are gonna need it" Butch said slapping Fawkes on the back. Dogmeat barked as well.

"So we all know what the plans are. Move out" Rommel said and everyone nodded their heads and walked out of the Mart, leaving Rommel, Cross, Butch, Clover and RL and Dogmeat alone inside.

Back inside the simulation Bren was facing a Chinese General, General Jingwei to be precise.

"Its over General, our troops are taking over your base, and you lost" Bren said holding his pistol at the General's head

"No, I refuse to die, not without a fight you American scum" Jingwei said drawing his Katana, it pulsed a bit of blue energy and Bren realized he must be running electricity though the blade.

Jingwei swung his katana down at Bren who jumped back and fired two shots at him only to shoot the shoulder of the general.

"You are impressive, but you will die today by my blade" Jingwei said and he ran at Bren thrusting his sword at Bren but Bren drew his trench knife and ducked

"Take this" Bren said charging at Jingwei, he slammed him trench knife into Jingwei's sword arm forcing him to drop the sword

"Ahh" Jingwei called out clutching his arm

Bren picked up the sword and held it up

"I will say it again, give up, you can't win" Bren said

"Never" Jingwei said and to Bren's surprise a new sword materialized into Jingwei's other hand, he twirled it and held it up to Bren.

"You are a strong opponent, that is why I will fight you with all my skill, this is my way to respect you" Jingwei said running at Bren.

Outside of the simulation Olin and McGraw were watching a terminal

"How is he doing?" McGraw asked

"his body is taking a lot of stress. This is the part where the other subjects failed" Olin said grimly

"I see…" McGraw said

Back inside Bren and Jingwei traded blade strokes. Bren may not have been trained with a blade but he was a natural. He kept parrying blows and sending his own. He thrust his blade when he saw an opening and it make contact. It went straight into Jingwei who coughed up blood.

"…may…my people…..keep…fighting…." Jingwei said on his dying breath. Bren pulled out the sword and sighed.

"I won…." Bren said smiling, he disappeared from the world and the next thing he saw was the inside of the immersion pod. It opened up

"Thank god your alive" Olin said

"Yeah" Bren muttered

"Right, lets see what the armory holds" McGraw said and Bren nodded his head in agreement

They walked over to the terminal and one of the Outcasts pressed a few keys on it opening the nearby door.

The door opened up and what Bren first saw was a suit of power armor, it was white and looked brand new.

"Wow" Bren said walking to it.

"You can have it if you like" McGraw said

"Seriously?" Bren asked

"Take anything you want from this room, there are plenty of other rooms in this complex so you don't have to worry, call it payment for the help" McGraw said and Bren got into the armor. Unlike the other power armor, it seemed lighter, little did Bren know was that it was designed to allow maximum mobility and strength.

"Impressive" Bren said looking over his arms inside the power armor. He then noticed a sword, it was in fact Jingwei's shock sword. Bren picked it up and twirled it a bit. It felt natural to him.

"Thanks for the tools" Bren said to McGraw but then he heard a click and Bren, McGraw, and Olin saw Sibley and a few Outcasts holding plasma rifles and pistols at the trio.

"What is this?" McGraw asked

"You are not fit to lead us. You give away our hard earned treasures to this scum, and you want to go back to the Brotherhood, you remember why we left?" Sibley asked.

"Look calm down" McGraw said

"Shut up" Sibley said, "I'm going to kill you and everyone else here who doesn't agree with me" He said

Bren ran in front of the duo just as Sibley fired his plasma shot but much to Bren's surprise along with everyone else, the armor didn't dent or anything.

"What the hell?" Sibley said firing two more shots only to be repelled by the armor

"Time to take you down" Bren said swinging the sword at Sibley, the electricity arced from the blade onto the armor and a loud shrieking of pain filled the room and hallway. Sibley was dead and he died in a horrible way.

The other two outcasts looked at the dead body of Sibley and then dropped their weapons and held their arms up in surrender. They knew Bren wasn't someone to mess with.

"Thanks" McGraw said patting Bren on the shoulders

"So can I assume you will support us against the Enclave?" Bren asked removing the helmet

"The Outcasts will send plenty of troops to aid the Brotherhood, we may not all see eye to eye but we know the Enclave is a threat to the Wasteland" McGraw said

Bren and McGraw shook hands.

"Right I will tell Elder Lyons the good news, and thanks for the help" Bren said walking to the Elevator

As he road up McGraw smiled and thought, "This man is going to change the Wasteland alright"

AN: Alright I admit, not my best work, but at least I got over that mountain of a hurdle. Hopefully I update sooner this time.


	40. Finding Allies: Charon and Fawkes

AN: Ok, now then. Before the big battle in fact before I go get the Tesla Cannon, I'm going to show what everyone is going to do to gain allies. It will have them learning new things about themselves, gain new weapons, and of course bring back some old allies. Today's episode shall focus on Charon and Fawkes in their respected adventures. Please note, that minus Alex who will be gone for two months, all of the follower's adventures take place at the same time. Also please note, that for Fawkes's story, everything explained is only fanon, I don't know the entire reason for 87's creations, be it an experiment or more. Just saying.

Charon's Story

Charon grunted coming out of the museum metro. Damn raiders who hole up inside. Good thing he was a better shot and knew how to stay in the shadows.

He looked at the museum entrance sighing

"Never thought I would be back, has it really been a month since I met Bren here?" Charon thought as he walked through the entrance into thee underworld. He walked past a ghoul with a cheesy wig on selling some sort of water, Aqua Cura which claims with change the ghouls back to human.

Charon just shook his head noting the stupidity of his fellow ghouls, they are gonna stay this way whether they like it or not.

He walked though the large gate where he saw the ghoul mechanic Winthrop who looked like he was fixing up the Mr. Gutsy, Cerberus was it?

"Been a while" Charon said to the fellow ghoul who slammed down a cover and the robot buzzed to life

"I had the weirdest dream" Cerberus said

"No dream tin can, get back to patrolling" Winthrop said and Cerberus continued to follow his premade route, but Charon could hear him mutter, "Freaks"

"It has hasn't it" Winthrop said to Charon and they shook hands, "So that boy who bought you die yet?" Winthrop asked as they walked to Carols place for a bite to eat

When they got inside Charon shook his head

"Far from it, he is the best owner I had" Charon said pulling out his contract

"So the smooth skin gave it to you huh" Winthrop said sitting at a table, Charon sat across from him

"So why you come here anyway?" Winthrop asked getting to the point

"I'm here to find recruits. The Brotherhood of Steel need help to take down the Enclave once and for all" Charon said

"I see…so the Brotherhood finally realizes we ain't zombies, that's a start I suppose. But we can't supply any militia at the moment I'm afraid" Winthrop said

"Why?" Charon asked

"We been having problems of our own, know the Super Mutants near the Capitol building?" Winthrop asked

"What about them? I thought the Talons were taking care of them?" Charon asked

"The mutants have taken down the troops, and now they have been attacking areas near Underworld. The Brotherhood nearby are having trouble taking them on as well." Winthrop said

Charon got up and cracked his neck

"Get me a team of your best ghouls, and I will personally make sure the mutants don't bother us anymore" Charon said

"Your kidding…eh it's a good day to die. Give me a day and I will find the best Ghouls to help us out" Winthrop said

A Day pasted and once the sun started to rise at Dawn Charon and his team made their move. Charon lead the team of 5, it consisted of a Ghoul in a Merc outfit named Ted who held a shotgun. A Female Ghoul with a sniper named Amy. Two ghoul twins, Andy and Randy both carrying assault rifles. Finally Winthrop followed carrying a special weapon of his that he made.

"Come on, before they awaken" Charon said quietly as they made their way across the landscape. The mutants were still asleep by the time they made it up the steps into the Capitol building

"We need to take out the leader, it's the biggest Mutant here, so be careful" Charon said as he opened the door inside. When they stepped in they were met by two mutants with hunting rifles

"PUNY MUTANTS!" One of them shouted and Charon fired his shotgun at him blasting his head off, Winthrop fired the device sending a railway spike through the other's neck, which only had time grope at the spot before expiring.

"What do you call it?" Charon asked looking around

"The Railway Rifle." Winthrop replied holding up the device grinning

"Come on before more show up" Charon said as they followed the paths, they could see many corpses of both mutant and Talon Merc

"It was a war zone here" Charon thought as they made their way into the Rotunda where they saw the hulking form that was the Super Mutant Behemoth

"Charon…" Winthrop said

"Yeah?" Charon asked

"We are gonna need a bigger gun" Winthrop said just as the Mutant Roared in anger towards them. It grabbed its mace which was a fire hydrant and slammed it into Amy whose body hit wall with a sickening crack.

"Fuck, this is bad" Charon said dodging swings, not only was this a Behemoth, but the battle would attract more mutants to the location.

"Got to take it down but how?" Charon thought looking around, he saw some platforms around the area and he immanently sprang into action and got himself on top of the ledge while the other ghouls fought back.

The Behemoth sent the two ghoul twins flying and then Ted was taken down leaving only Winthrop who fired his railway rifle into the shoulder of the mutant. The rail way spike lodged itself into its shoulder causing it to yell in pain when Charon jumped onto its back holding his combat knife

"DIE YOU BASTARD!" Charon shouted as he sank the knife deep into the back of its neck. The Mutant roared in pain and tried to throw Charon off its back but it couldn't shake him off.

The mutant soon began to run out of energy, the blood walk leaving its body and soon to fell to the ground with a loud thud and closed its eyes

Charon let out of cry of victory and he saw many mutants looking at him, but it wasn't a look of anger, or rage…it was a look of fear. Fear of what would happen to them if they face the ghoul.

Charon glared at them

"Leave, and never return" He said and the mutants took heed of these words and ran.

Charon helped Winthrop up

"Glad to help" Charon said

"Can't believe you killed a Behemoth on your own" Winthrop said

"Easy once you go on their back, come on, we need to get some of the militia ready" Charon said as they walked out of the Rotunda.

Fawkes's Story

Fawkes held his super sledge tight in his hands; he had left his laser Gattling gun back home. For once ever since he left the vault, he was scared. He was scared of going back into the dark corridors of the nightmarish vault.

Fawkes made it through the highly irradiated pools to the Vault entrance where he first escaped, and went through the door he saw two mutants carrying the knocked out bodies of two wastelander's both looked like raiders.

"Hey, it's Fox (Fawkes)!" One of them exclaimed noticing him

"Yes I have returned my fellow metahumans" Fawkes said

"Fox still talk's funny, why you return?" The other asked

"I must talk to the Overseer" Fawkes said getting to the point

Both mutants turned to each other and gulped, it looked strange for a mutant to show fear.

"The Overseer is where he always is, but if you wish to die you may do so" One of them said to him, and they continued on their way carrying the raiders.

Fawkes made his way through the rusted and dirty corridors and soon made it to a large door, the faded words on the door said "O ver eer's f ic" but Fawkes knew this was the Overseer's office, they all did.

Fawkes closed his eyes and remembered what happened. Ever since he met Bren he began to remember his past life as a human.

It goes to a flash back of a clean version of Vault 87, people were walking around happy in the corridors and it shows a young man with short brown hair and brown eyes sitting on a nearby bench reading a book. It was history book and he was reading on a man named Guido Fawkes.

"This man really died for what he believed in" The man thought

He turned the page but heard footsteps. He looked up to see a man in a scientist outfit, his hair was turning white but he looked good for his age.

"Ah Professor Umbra, a pleasure to see you again, something wrong?" The young man asked setting the book down.

"Please it's Leo, no but I do have to ask you to come with me, we need you for an important experiment" Leo said

"Alright, I suppose I could come" The young man said getting up

He followed Leo down many corridors and soon went into the off limit areas, areas not even the Vault Dwellers could enter. Soon they made it to what looked like a hospital ward and the man could see many people on beds but instead of sleeping peacefully, were strapped down and seemed to be in a nightmare.

"What is going on?" He asked

"an experiment, one that could change the face of warfare" Leo said

"What?" The man asked

"Lets see your information" Leo said pulling up the medical chart

"Name, John Garrett, no history of any serious medical problems, you seem to be in perfect health" Leo said to him

"What are you doing?" John asked now more worried he saw in the corner of his eye one of the vault member's face starting to change color to more sickening green.

"Please remain calm, you have been chosen because we believe you have the right qualities for the experiment" Leo said

"Does the Overseer even know about this?" John asked trying to back away but he bumped into something big

"The overseer was the first experiment and the first success" Leo said and John turned around to see a large super mutant looking at him, the mutant glared at him

"Ah Overseer I see you are awake, I was just explaining to John here what was going to happen" Leo said

"yes…strap him down….make him into a perfect being…." The super mutant said, unlike the other mutants his tone was almost human, it was low and dark yet it still kept feeling of humanity in it

John turned around just in time to be injected by a strange substance

"Sleep now John, it will all be over soon" John could hear from Leo before blacking out

John awoke sometime later, he couldn't tell if it was night or day because of being in the vaults, he couldn't move due to being strapped down and he struggled to move.

"Let me go!" He called out

"Quiet you don't want to wake up the others" Leo said holding a syringe of some strange green substance.

"This is an FEV, Forced Evolutionary Virus, this is what turns us into what you saw earlier. We found the new form gives us power, and the ability to survive in radiation. We will be able to survive in the harsh wasteland in this form" Leo explained

"You're crazy, you can't do this!" John said trying to escape.

"I'm sorry John, but it's too late" Leo said injecting the syringe into John's arm

John cried out in pain and felt like he was on fire, he blacked out a second time.

In his dreams he dreamed he was being eaten by shadows, he cried for help but no help would come to his aid. Try as he might, he couldn't escape. But then the shadows let go. He didn't know why, but then he saw his arm, it was large and green.

He awoke sweating and he looked around. He saw Leo and the Overseer looking at him.

"What is going on?" John asked, his voice now raspier

Leo looked at the Overseer

"Too smart, not good for my army…." The overseer said, "Take him away"

"I understand…." Leo said

"What happened to me?" John asked

Leo held up a mirror to John's face, john didn't see a human, he saw a mutant and he screamed.

The flashback ended and Fawkes shook his head.

"Its time to stop living in the past…and forge a new future" Fawkes thought opening the door. He saw a super Mutant Overlord sitting on a large throne made of bent metal, it wasn't made with proper hands, more like it was hastily hammered together with scrap metal.

"Overseer, I've come here to control the mutants" Fawkes said holding up his super sledge

The overlord let out a laugh

"You really think you can defeat me? I've defeated mutants with the same goal in mind, what makes you think you can do what they didn't?" The overseer asked, his voice was mutant but he spoke like a human, albeit a slower speaking one.

"I'm here because the brotherhood is stronger then us, but they are willing to make a bargain with us. They want our help to destroy the Enclave, in return we may live in the area away from the Brotherhood" Fawkes explained

The overseer was not amused

'You think we can be defeated, you can not defeat me, John, yes I recognize you, from so many years ago since we last met. You were too smart for your own good, I should have destroyed you" The overseer said

"I am now Fawkes, and I promised my friends I will have the help of my fellow meta humans" Fawkes said holding his hammer up, ready to strike.

"Then we have reached an impasse, very well then, we will fight, if you can defeat me I will give you control of the mutants. But fail and your life will be my prize" The overseer said getting up from his throne, he walked past Fawkes

"Come, I've already set up a place for us to fight" The overseer said.

The overseer led Fawkes through a maze of corridors until they made it to a large room, it used to be the 2 story Gymnasium but Fawkes could see blood and weapons all over the place.

"This is the Arena, I don't need to explain the use of this to you, am I correct?" The overseer asked picking up a sledge hammer

"This will be a fight to the death, no one will interfere" the overseer explained, many Mutants watched from above and the bloodlust was in the air.

"So be it my old leader" Fawkes said holding the super sledge up, he was ready to fight back

The tension was thick in the air, both mutants faced each other. Fawkes made the first strike and ran at the overseer. But before he could make a swing the overseer had thrust the hammer part into Fawkes's shoulder forcing him to drop the super sledge

"Don't think I'm like the other mutants, I am smart, fast, and strong. Everyone else is soldiers for me" The overseer said and Fawkes's glared at him and formed a fist

"Take this!" Fawkes let out sending a flurry of strikes at the over seer who either blocked or dodged but he was getting backed into a wall. Fawkes punched the overseer's chest when he saw an opening but instead of soft flesh, what Fawkes punched felt like a brick wall.

He pulled back clutching his fist and the over seer laughed

"What's the matter, getting tired, or are you just weak!" The overseer let out and many mutants laughed along with him

Fawkes grabbed a nearby lead pipe and swung it at the overseer who grabbed Fawkes's wrist and squeezed it hard. Fawkes let out a cry of pain and dropped the pipe and the Overseer punched Fawkes in the chest then the face knocking him to the ground

"You are weak, I think now it is time I end your miserable existence" the overseer said grabbing Fawkes's neck but Fawkes noticed a nearby ripper and grabbed it. He swung it into the overseer's face who yelled in pain and pulled back, he was clutching his face which was bleed from a deep gash, but he was still alive and mad.

Fawkes got back up and grabbed his super sledge

"I am not weak, I never let myself become a monster, no I am stronger, and YOU ARE WEAK!" Fawkes let out and charged at the overseer slamming his sledge right into the overseer's stomach knocking him to the ground. The last thing the overseer saw was an angry Fawkes swinging the hammer down on his face.

Fawkes swung down two more times to make sure and he dropped the sledge to let out a cry of victory. Many mutants were surprised but Fawkes turned to them.

"In time I will return, you will aid me in an attack on the Enclave, it will be our new home and we will leave the humans here in the Wasteland alone" Fawkes said

The mutants looked at each other but they saw what Fawkes did to the Overseer, their old leader and strongest among themselves. They agreed.

"I hope my friends found the allies we need" Fawkes thought walking out of the arena.


	41. Finding Allies: Jericho, Rommel, Cross

AN: Sorry for the long wait, I was busy but now I figured I do something. Today we focus on Jericho and Rommel with Cross. Hope you enjoy.

Jericho's Story

Jericho grunted as he wiped his brow, it was hot in the wasteland and all he had was a backpack with his personal Chinese assault rifle and a couple of provisions.

"Never thought I'd be coming back" Jericho thought as he made his way to the large entrance, he noticed a pile of crates that were marked aqua Pura, he also noticed some blood stains on it, fresh too.

"Must have found a Caravan" He thought as he walked past the train cars and made it into the open.

Many raiders pulled out a gun and aimed it at Jericho

"Hey guys, I'm not here to fight, or have you forgotten me, you know the leader's brother" Jericho said

The raiders laughed and lowered their weapons.

One of them walked to Jericho

"Hey Jericho, your brother is dead, died a month ago, we got a new boss" He said

"Really now, well I need to talk to him, I got a proposition to say to him and I doubt you want to make me angry" Jericho said, his tone serious and for good reason, Bren gave him an assignment and he wasn't going to fail it.

"Give me one good reason why I should let you in?" The raider asked mocking him

Jericho smirked and grabbed the man's crotch and held tight

"Two, and if you don't get out of my way, I'm gonna crush them both" Jericho said

The man was tearing and somehow nodded despite the pain, Jericho let go and wiped his hand on the kneeling man's shirt.

None of the other raiders stood in his way, the brother of the former leader Kyle was not someone to mess with.

Jericho walked though the large plant, now converted into a town of sorts. He walked past some Raiders injecting themselves with psycho and past the one raider woman cutting up some Molerat to cook up for some lunch.

He soon made it into the large inner chamber's a large communion was set up and he heard music, yep they were having a show.

He walked up to see some pole dancers doing a strip show while raiders watched and cheered, and then he noticed one of the people watching was sitting in a large chair, unlike the raiders he wore an old business suit, complete with a fedora, at his side was a sawed off shotgun and baseball bat with a strange green stain on it.

Standing next to him in combat armor was a man with a magnum at his side and what looked like a cowboy hat on his head.

The music stopped and everyone turned to Jericho

Some of them recognized him others didn't and looked confused. The man in the large chair got up and looked at Jericho.

"You must be Jericho" He said, his accent sounding like an old gangster.

"Let me guess, you killed my brother" Jericho said

"Yeah, put a bullet in between his eyes, want to fight about it?" The man asked

"No, he was an ass, but I do need your help" Jericho said

"What else is new, I mean I'm the new leader, me the leader. Al Capone would be proud of me" The man said

"Who?" Jericho asked

"Oh sorry, I keep forgetting I'm from the past, yeah would you believe aliens abducted me years ago, yeah" He said, the man next to him chuckled a bit

"Aliens…wait did you happen to meet a man named Bren?" Jericho asked

The man took his hat off and looked at Jericho

"Bren, he saved me and Paulson" The man said, "I'm Tony"

"Tony huh, so how did two guys take over the Raiders? Even my brother lost an eye over leadership" Jericho asked

"Easy, tricked him knocked him on his back and fired, no one argued that I was smart and brutal, so what's this about needing help?" Tony asked pulling out a cigarette and lighting it

"Not me, Bren. Bren needs the raiders help" Jericho said

The raiders who heard him began to pull back and murmur, one even said, "The Lone wanderer Bren?"

"Really, well help is gonna cost ya, I mean I ain't running a free business you know" Tony said

"How about I kick your ass and I take over" Jericho said grabbing Tony by his shirt but then he saw behind him the former alien captive Paulson holding his magnum up at Jericho's face, a serious look in his eyes told Jericho that he should let go before he died.

He let go and Tony straightened his outfit.

"Listen, how about we talk over a nice drink, come on" Tony said and they walked off, the music continued and so did the girls.

They sat at a large table and a raider set some cups and whisky down for them

"Go on and drink, don't worry I don't poison people" Tony said

Jericho shook his head

"Not on business, so tell me what is the price you want, caps?" Jericho asked

"Nothing we can easily get by robbing caravans, no we want weapons. We need weapons to control other gangs, you don't quite get what I'm doing? I'm organizing the raiders" Tony said

"Organizing?" Jericho asked confused, this place was only a neutral territory for all raiders.

"Yeah, already I got the Claws, the Death Crew, and the Terror Killers to join us." Tony said

"In one month?" Jericho asked

Tony drank a shot of whisky and nodded his head

"Right, my boss always said, either your with us or your dead, we gave them that choice, only one group didn't agree" Tony said, "Then we crushed them!"

Paulsen nodded his head

"So what we want are weapons, powerful weapons, not like shotguns or pistols, we need laser rifles and plasma weapons" Tony said

"We are attacking the Enclave at their home base, plenty for all the raiders I suppose" Jericho said

"Good, but I don't make a deal with a weakling, I want you to prove yourself" Tony said

"How?" Jericho asked

"Kill Big Green" was all Tony said.

Big Green was the name of the sleeping super mutant Behemoth in the cage outside. How the raiders found him is one question, how they captured him is another one.

Jericho thought for a moment and then nodded his head

"Alright I will take him on" He said walking out

He went into the yard, Tony had followed him along with Paulson, the other raiders went back inside and the large super mutant looked at them and roared

"Well Jericho, someone gonna die today" Tony said as Paulson took aim with his magnum at the generator, "Lets hope it isn't you" He added, and Paulson fired his gun at the generator, causing it to explode.

Tony and Paulson ran off while Jericho drew his assault rifle.

"It's a good day to die" He muttered as the mutant slammed the cage open, letting out a roar.

"DIE!" Jericho shouted spraying bullets into the thick hide

The Mutant wasn't fazed and he ran at Jericho who ducked in between the large creature's legs. The Mutant looked around thinking Jericho disappeared and Jericho ran behind and box car and reloaded his assault rifle

"Alright Jericho think old man think….wait" He thought peering around the corner, he noticed some generators near the mutant and he checked his pack, he had two frag grenades. This plan could work.

He pulled the pins of one of the grenades and tossed it near the generator, the Mutant had noticed the sound and turned in time to see the small object explode and then the generators blew up startling it.

Jericho then tossed another grenade around the back of the mutant and the explosion knocked the already dazed mutant forward, thanks to some of the tips he got from Rommel.

It flashes back to Rommel talking with Jericho outside.

"So you know why you feel dizzy when you are near an explosion?" Rommel asked

"Something in the fire?" Jericho asked

"No, you see you might not believe me but the ears are important when it comes to balance, the explosion is so loud it disrupts the ear drum and makes you lose your balance" Rommel explained

It went back to Jericho

"Perhaps I should take a look in a book more often when this is all over" Jericho thought charging at the fallen mutant, he drew a combat knife and slammed it into the neck and soon the breathing stopped.

"Heh…too easy" He thought wiping the blade free of blood. Tony and Paulson came out of cover and walked to Jericho.

"You are a tough warrior I can tell ya that. I will honor the deal, you will have the support of the raiders against the Enclave" Tony said shaking Jericho's hand.

"Yeah, by the way I've been meaning to ask, why doesn't Paulson there talk?" Jericho asked pointing at the silent man.

Paulson lifted his chin and pointed to a large slashing scar.

"We faced what you call a Deathclaw when we left the ship. We were able to get him healed, but he couldn't talk after that" Tony said

"I see…" Jericho said looking down.

"Well come on, we need to plan now" Tony said as the trio went back inside.

Rommel and Cross's story

Cross and Rommel had been walking for half a day and it was almost dusk, soon predators like the Deathclaw and the Yao Guai or worse.

They found an abandoned house and set up camp inside and soon got out of their power armor.

Rommel was wearing a white undershirt and some black slacks, Cross on the other hand had a light blue undershirt along with some old jeans.

"So how long until we make it to Raven Rock?" Cross asked

"Not long, hopefully we can find anything useful from the wreckage" Rommel said munching on some Punga Fruit that Bren brought back, it wasn't half bad compared to the other food you had to eat in this world.

"Right" Cross said looking around

"You want the bed or the couch?" Rommel asked

"Bed if you don't mind" Cross said getting up and heading into the bed room. Rommel laid back on the couch thinking.

"How do I tell her…." He thought.

Sleep took them both and soon they were on their way, crossing hills and rocks when soon they made it to the entrance of the once grand Raven Rock.

"Alright Cross lets take a look around" Rommel said getting on top of the large pile of rock and rubble.

He surveyed the area and sighed from beneath his power armor.

He thought back to his time in the Enclave

It goes to a flash back of the war meeting room back in Raven Rock, about 6 months before Bren left Vault 101

Rommel stormed in holding a folder and he slammed it in front of Autumn

"What the hell is this?" He demanded

Autumn looked at his brother

"Brother, it is a war report, unless you forgot your military training" He said

"I know damn well what it is, why did you attack that village?" Rommel asked

"They were harboring ghouls and stood against the Enclave, they had to be exterminated" Autumn said in a matter of fact voice

"They were unarmed, they were no threat to the Enclave….grr" Rommel slammed his power armored fist onto the table, nearly breaking it in the process and stormed out of the room and went to his personal room.

"Commander, something the matter?" The Voice of President Eden spoke to Rommel

"…President, you saw the reports, why….I know we have to eradicate ghouls and mutants but why the village?" He asked

Eden just spoke in his normal voice

"Sometimes we have to sacrifice people for the greater good" Eden said

Rommel sighed, "Sometimes I wonder who is truly the monster in this world" he said

Rommel went out of his thoughts and continued to search the area, he came across something, a picture of two boys running around a metal corridor. Both were in prewar children's clothing and he smiled, it was him and his brother….where had this all gone wrong….

"What have we done?" He thought looking around the landscape.

"Rommel I found something" Cross shouted and Rommel put the picture in a pocket and ran to Cross who found a disk

"this might have what we need" Cross said and Rommel nodded his head.

"Good work…but I don't think we will be able to find anything else in this rubble, not unless you want to dig" He said sighing

"I know…." She said looking around

"…Cross….where has the Enclave gone wrong…we wanted to protect the people of the Wasteland, I grew up hearing the voice of the President, him saying we would help the people and make sure they don't suffer in the past, but now I see…." Rommel shed a tear from beneath his helmet, Cross seemed to know this and removed her helmet and then his.

"Rommel, you know what the Enclave did wrong, you should do what is right and make sure they can't harm the wasteland again." She said holding his shoulder

"Cross…." Rommel said

Both moved closer to each other and then their lips met. They kissed for what seemed liked hours but really seconds. When they parted they looked at each other's eyes.

"Cross, I'm going to repent for the sins of the Enclave, and repay all the damages they have caused" Rommel said

"And I will follow you and help you" Cross said

Both smiled and kissed again, knowing they would be happy once this was all over….


	42. Finding Allies: The rest

AN: I want to thank Crescendo-Reprise for providing her character; I also want to recommend her story, the Scourge of Humanity, a great story about a Russian Lone Wanderer, who is as evil as I am good. Enjoy the next chapter. Also I want to thank iGoogle for the free translator, so now I type in the message and select translate from English to what ever and it does it in reverse to which is awesome. So yeah.

Butch's Story

Butch was tired, walking far north in the Wasteland, with only RL and Dogmeat to keep him company.

"Remind me again why I'm out here" Butch said out loud to him

"Private Butch, General Bren had ordered us to find the alien crash sight and gain the aid of his allies" RL explained

"Note to self, don't ask rhetorical questions" Butch muttered

"My audio sensors are quite acute so yes I heard that Private, that's another demerit" RL said

"That another 30 of them" Butch thought rolling his eyes. The trio soon found the small white and shiny machine and Butch pulled out a small device

"Let's hope this works" Butch said pressing a few spots on it. A bright light engulfed them and Dogmeat yipped and Butch was surprised

"Oh crap this was a bad idea!" He said as they were sucked up

They were aboard the mother ship, but they were greeted by guns, to be precise it was Elliot who was holding his Assault rifle with Alec aiming his PPSh-41.

Dogmeat growled at them but they heard the sound of a little girl

"Hey guys keep it down" They heard her say

"Sorry Sally we got intruders" Elliot said

"I will not allow them to harm you" Alec said in his Russian Accent

"Wait we are not here to fight" Butch said

The girl Sally walked to them and looked at Butch

"Cool you look like a character from Westside Story, and that's a robot and that's…A doggy!" She exclaimed and Dogmeat barked and she petted the dog

Alec looked at Elliot and they nodded in agreement and stopped aiming their guns at them

"Who are you?" Sally asked while petting Dogmeat

"Names Butch, that's Dogmeat and that's-"Butch was interrupted by Elliot

"an RL-3 unit, I remember those back in Anchorage, they were called back because they were unstable and unusable for battle" Elliot said

"Sir I take offense to that, I don't suggest you anger me, but I have a mission objective, where is the one named Sally?" RL asked

"Here" Sally said

"Here you go" RL said opening his chassis, inside was a tape.

"What's that?" Sally asked

"Tape recording, Bren couldn't be here, instead he recorded a message to give to ya" Butch explained

"Lenora find the tape player" Elliot called out

"Lenora?" Butch asked

"Friendly alien, don't shoot him" Elliot said

"Now I've seen everything" Butch said face palming

The green alien came back with the small player handing it to Elliot

"If it wasn't for this we wouldn't be listening to some good music, wish we find new stuff though, Mr. Sandman is getting old" Elliot said

"I could go for some good Russian music myself" Alec said

Elliot put the tape in and Bren's voice came on

"Elliot, Sally, Alec, Toshiro and Lenora, if you are listening to this then you met my friends on Earth. We need your help, I need it. A group known as the Enclave is creating a lot of destruction down where I live, I need as much support from you. I need robots set up and able to be dropped down in the area of the coordinates I will be providing as well as this tape. Any alien weapons will also be helpful as well any normal weapons found in the cargo hold. Please, we need all the support we can get" The tape ended

"For the man who helped me regain my honor, I will lay down my life for him" a Japanese sounding voice was heard

The group turned to the armored Samurai Toshiro

"Is that-"Butch was about to ask

"A Samurai, correct. Good thing we taught him English too" Alec said chuckling a bit.

"Wow" Butch said

The group worked hard on the ship; thanks to RL with Lenora they were able to reprogram the remaining robots on the ship. Alec was in the Cargo hanger looking at a large tarp covered object

"Николай вы не можете иметь шанс бороться в войну, чтобы изменить этот мир , но я на свое место. Я обещаю вам это" He said in his Russian language, he pulled the tarp back and it revealed his brother's rocket truck.

"Для отца землю и за свободу своих друзей." He said holding his fist up

Butch was sparring with Toshiro, Toshiro and Butch were using small hollow plastic tubing as a substitute for blades. So far Butch was messing up and kept getting hit on the by his instructor

"No, you lack discipline to be a warrior" Toshiro said "なぜ私はこのバカを教える必要があります" he muttered shaking his head

"Hey at least I'm trying Toshiro" Butch said

Butch got hit in the head again

"Toshiro-Sensei to your Butch-Chan" Toshiro said annoyed

Butch glared at him and drew his switch blade, and thrust it at Toshiro but he was able to grab Butch's wrist and then sweep his legs knocking him to the ground.

"At least you have the killing instinct, perhaps you are not a fool, Butch-Chan" Toshiro said helping Butch up.

"Yeah, I don't want Bren to think I'm weak" Butch said dusting his jacket off

"Bren is strong minded, but he knows that unity is truly the way to victory" Toshiro said

"You get that from a fortune cookie?" Butch asked

"A what?" Toshiro asked

"Never mind" Butch said as they continued their practice.

Their stay on the alien ship took about a week's time, spent training, preparing for the battle, and enjoying the view of the Earth. Butch looked down at the Earth the day he was about to leave.

"…I'm not gonna let them destroy my home…." He thought following Dogmeat and RL to the teleporter.

"Don't worry guys we will be ready" Elliot said shaking Butch's hand.

"I will show the Enclave the power of the Red Army" Alec said

"Red Army…wait you're a Communist?" RL said, before he could attack Butch shoved him through the teleporter

"Remind me not to mention that again" Alec said to break the awkward silence.

"Agree" Everyone muttered, Dogmeat even gave a yip in agreement

"Take care" Butch said stepping onto the teleporter with Dogmeat, he hoped that everyone else found their allies as well.

Alex's Story

Alex was on the ferry, driven by the new Captain, Nadine. They came to the dock of the murky aired and colored area and Alex stepped off.

"Alright I will be right here" Nadine said

"Thanks" Alex said walking across the dock, he walked though the familiar territory where he saw his father Cletus and his sidekick Zeke walking along the river bend.

"hey Cletus found one" Zeke said pointing at one of the Swamplurks and he aimed his double barrel shotgun at the crablike creature and fired. The shot bounced off the shell hide and it turned and ran at the duo

"Oh crud…" Zeke said trying to reload his shells and Cletus held his axe down at his side and as the Swamplurk jumped at him he sent a sweep right into its side. The axe dug right into the side and stopped it, Cletus who finished reloading fired point blank in the creatures face killing it. Cletus wretched the axe out of the monster and smiled.

"We eat tonight Zeke" He said

"Hey pa" Alex said and Cletus turned to his song and ran to him, giving him a big Yao Guai hug.

"Good to see you again son, how are you doing?" Cletus said

Great, I came back because Bren needs help" Alex said

"Really?" Cletus asked, oblivious to Zeke who was struggling to drag the large carcass back home in the background.

"What is it?" Cletus asked

"Bren needs help against an enemy. He promised that you will be rewards if we can provide help for the fight" Alex explained

"…I see….ZEKE!" Cletus called out

"Yes Cletus?" Zeke said dropping the struggle

"We are having a meeting of the clans" Cletus said

"A meeting of the clans…but that hasn't been done in many moons" Zeke said

"NOW!" Cletus shouted and Zeke ran off

"A meeting with the clans, are you sure that's wise pa?" Alex asked

"Bren is going to need all the help he can get if he decided to ask for us" Cletus said picking up the Swamplurk and carrying it over his shoulder like it was nothing.

A few hours passed and Cletus, Zeke and Alex were waiting at the ruins of a large burned out town hall.

Five equally large men were looking at them.

"Cletus, why have you called us" One of them asked

"…Trappers, Hunters, Fishers, Diggers, and Gutters, along with my clan, we are the ones who live here" Cletus explained, "But we aren't the only ones who live in this world, my son left the swamps and meet new people, they need our help"

The other clan leaders just laughed

"Why should we help them" One of them snorted

"Yeah, have you been drinking too much moonshine to think straight?" Another asked

"We have been promised weapons and supplies to help us if we support them…" Cletus tried to explain but others just laughed until a gun shot was heard

Everyone stopped laughing and looked at Alex who was holding the smoking shotgun which he pointed in the air

"Enough, all of you. I don't think you quite understand what is going on. My friends are fighting an enemy that would threaten to kill us if we don't help stop them. All our homes, our families will be killed by them" Alex said, he was angry and the others began to look at each other

"Are you guys just a bunch of yellow bellied cowards who would rather die here in the swamp or would you rather die fighting for something good?" Alex asked

The leaders continued to talk among themselves

"…did I mention we would get guns and whisky if we help them" Alex said trying to get them to agree with him.

"Why didn't you say so?" One of them said

"I'm with ya, for the whisky!" another said

Everyone agreed and Cletus pulled Alex aside

"I'm beginning to think our neighbors aren't that bright" Cletus said

"…trust me compared to the rest of the world, us Swampfolk ain't too bright, but we will provide help in either case" Alex said

"Right, come on son we need to grab supplies" Cletus said and the father and son went back home, Alex thought to himself, "I hope my friends got their job done"

Bren's Story.

Bren was in Rivet City, in the market place, he had set up a sign marked, "The Wasteland Militia"

"Everyone, we must unite to fight the Enclave and save the Wasteland" Bren said, he had attracted some people but it wasn't a lot.

Bren then noticed something, a woman, but her outfit was different from the others, she had a familiar blue uniform, a vault uniform. It was armored but the sleeves were torn at the sleeves, the number looked like it faded many years ago, her 5' 9" body was curved in the right places as she swung her hips as she walked, naturally many of the men looked at her. While her hair short and brown with a small spiked pixie cut in the back. Her face was pretty much one of the most beautiful in the wasteland, neither too pretty nor ugly, her small freckles and mole under her left eye really gave her a nice look. Her brown eyes seemed to dart the area as she walked closer to Bren.

At her side was a Chinese blade as well as a 10mm pistol while her hands stayed close at her side.

"Hello" She said, her accent had a slight bit of Russian in it

"Hello" Bren said not knowing how to speak to the woman, she seemed different then the average wasteland woman

"Are you Bren the Lone Wanderer?" She asked

"That's what people call me, why?" Bren asked

The woman smirked and drew from her in within her ample sized chest a sheet of paper with good picture of Bren, marked on the bottom was Reward: 1000 Caps

"Well you're a wanted man, I got hired to find you and take you in" She said

"Look miss…err" Bren didn't know what to say

"Artemis" She said

"I don't care if you have a bounty on me, I got to set up a militia to stop the Enclave" Bren said

"Who do you think set up the bounty" Artemis said laughing

Bren drew his magnum and held it up at her but Artemis seemed to have been a tad quicker as she drew her sword and swung it knocking the gun out of his hand.

"I like a strong man, perhaps if you could prove to me that you aren't weak, I might "forget" about this bounty, who knows, I might even help you" She said winking

Bren gulped and then drew his shock blade from his side.

"Fine" Bren said swinging his sword at Artemis who jumped back

"Да, это одна будет делать хорошо" She thought as the people in the market began to leave or watch the two fight

Bren kept sending swings and thrusts at her but her style was different from his. Bren normally would have beaten a normal opponent but she on the other hand was more agile and kept her distance, only attacking when she saw an opening. Even with Bren's cyber implants it was hard to judge where she was going to strike.

Both kept trading blows and neither seemed to gain an edge when Artemis drew from her side a combat knife and threw it at Bren with her free hand. Bren dodged the knife but Artemis took this moment to swing at Bren's side getting a cut in.

Bren groaned as he felt blood leak out, the blade seemed much rougher, the cut wasn't fine like a knife cut but more of a shredder.

Artemis licked her lips as she watched Bren take a few steps back while holding his side.

"So this is the man who the Enclave can't take care of himself, my I don't know who is more pathetic" Artemis said holding her head and laughing

Bren glared at her and ran at her swinging his sword, their swords connected with a loud clang but neither budged but Bren smirked and Artemis had one second to wonder why but Bren activated the shock function and Artemis screamed in pain and dropped the sword and fell to her knees.

Bren looked at the figure and panted, he was sweating and felt like he was going to pass out, everyone looked at them, wondering what Bren was going to do to her.

"…kill me, you won" Artemis said, she wasn't going to beg for her life

"No I won't, I will however ask for you to help me take down the Enclave" Bren said

" and if I don't?" Artemis asked

"Then I will have to let Rivet City take care of you, and I have my doubts they will let you walk out of here thanks to all of the damage you caused" Bren said

Artemis laughed a bit

"The stories were true about you" Artemis said, "Fine, I will help you out for this job"

"Good" Bren said

Bren got himself bandaged up, the wound itself wasn't too dangerous but he would be favoring that side for at least a week before it fully healed, Artemis on the other hand was ok, the shock that Bren gave her was more along the lines of a stun gun, not enough to kill her. Soon both left Rivet City and were walking back to the Super Duper Mall.

"So Artemis, what's your story? I noticed you have a Vault Uniform on" Bren asked her while they were walking

"I was born in the vault, or at least that's what my folks told me. They left taking me along while I was still a child. This Uniform belonged to my mother, course she is dead" Artemis said

"Sorry to hear about that" Bren said

"Don't be, she died while I was still young, my father raised me, but then he died when I was seven, I got taken by raiders and they trained me to be stronger…then I killed them" She said, she didn't change her tone, in fact she sounded like she was just saying what the weather was.

"I see…" Bren said not knowing what to say

"I traveled the wasteland and met up with a group, they became my new family because I had a different kind of hunger. Too bad they couldn't stop me once I wanted to be the leader" She said laughing, "Stole the leader's sword in the middle of the night and cut off his head. Vance won't be leading that family any more" She said licking her lips

Bren felt much more nervous now.

"Then I killed everyone else who didn't obey me, the ones who do fear me, but respect me for bringing in the caps and blood" She said continuing her story

"Blood?" Bren asked

"Oh didn't I mention that I was a cannibal?" She asked

Bren stopped and turned around looking at her in surprise

"Hey don't judge me, here in the wasteland you do what you can to survive" Artemis said

"…I guess I can't deny that, but why blood?" Bren asked

"Because the former leader wanted them to think they were vampires, either way it helps my hunger" She said smiling, Bren could see that her canine teeth were much sharper, like some one used a file on it, he made a note sleep with one eye open around her.

They continued walking until they made it back to the base where Bren was greeted by Clover

"Hey lover boy how…is…it….going…" Clover looked at Artemis and then glared at her

"Who is this tramp?" Artemis asked

"I'm his lover" Clover said trying not to punch this woman's light's out.

"She is a former slave…but she does have some…well…." Bren didn't know how to explain it to Artemis

"Eh, I don't really care, but Bren if want a real woman, just find me and I will be sure to please you" Artemis said winking at Bren as she walked off into the store.

Bren sighed, "I hope everyone else had as much good luck as me" He thought. He really hoped this was enough to stop the Enclave.

AN: Right, finally I got those out of the way, and sorry for the shortness of the Point Lookout part, it was hard for me to think of some way to convince the Swampfolk to join in the fight, I mean what would they want, guns and alcohol, its simple and it works. Like I said I mean no offense to the South, it's the Swampfolk who are the stereotype, not the South in the general. See ya next chapter.


	43. Shock Value

AN: In case you guys were wondering, I'm trying to finish the story before New Vegas comes out, otherwise I will not want to goo back to Fallout 3, and it would be an insult to you guys if I don't finish this story after sucking you in so much. Enjoy this next chapter. One again I got to thank Crescendo-Reprise for her input and inspiration of her story, Rommel9 for being the first guy to follow my story and help out, and Steve from Long Island for just being around when I needed a laugh. (A cookie to whoever can tell me the reference)

It's been a month since everyone was separated; it was in the large meeting room of the Citadel where they all met, ready to discuss the plan.

Artemis was against the wall waiting to hear the plan; Charon was next to her with RL floating on the other side.

Butch was at a seat with his feet on the table like it was a foot rest. Clover was sitting next to Bren who was in the seat next to the Elder Lyon. Cross was smiling and sitting next to Rommel who also had a smile, they didn't have a reason, at least to say to the group about this, but Charon had a feeling. Alex was absent thanks to the time it would take to get back. Jericho was sitting next to Butch smoking a cigarette, muttering on how hard it was to find these things these days. Fawkes was standing on the corner to stay out of everyone's way.

"…so we all found allies to help us in this battle, that's good, but that's still not enough to take on the Enclave, at least as long as they have Vertibirds" Bren said

"That is correct, without the aid of Liberty Prime we can not destroy the Vertibirds as easily" The old man said

"But thanks to some information provided by Paladin Tristan we believe we may have found the solution" Bren said pointing at a map on an overhead projector that shone on the wall, he pointed North at a location.

"Old Olney Powerworks may have what's called a Tesla Coil; with it we will be able to create a weapon powerful enough to destroy the weapons." Bren said

Artemis laughed

"What's so funny?" Bren asked

"Old Olney is filled with Deathclaws, there is no way you can get in there without dying, you have to be crazy to go in" She explained

"I'm aware of the problem, but I have been provided with a special tool by Scribe Vallincourt who says it can help with the Deathclaw problem. Now then before then, we need to figure out who is going, I know I am" Bren said

"I'm gonna help" Charon said cracking his neck

"I will too, I got to kill time somehow" Artemis said, she smirked at the almost ear steaming Clover who was very close to jumping out of her seat and stabbing her.

"Everyone else, I want you all to prepare yourselves, get weapons, and so on. We only have a month to prepare and we only have so much time before the Enclave gets word of this" Bren said, "Dismissed" He added and everyone got up and left to their own accord.

Bren went into his locker provided by the brotherhood and pulled out his Infiltrator, and Shock sword putting them on his back and side. He then picked up the magnum and reloaded it then spun the chambers and flicked it back into the gun and put in his vault combat armor's pocket he made for it.

"Looks like its time to head into the most dangerous place so far" Bren thought heading out to the entrance of the large fortress.

He saw Charon standing next to Artemis

"Come on guys" Bren said leading the way.

It took the group about 3 hours to make it to the outer area and they saw something, a group of Enclave soldiers with two large cages that were closed up.

"Damn it, Enclave" Charon said getting ready to fight but Bren held his hand up

"Let me handle this" Bren said sneaking forward.

"Is he crazy?" Artemis asked

"He knows what he is doing; you think I wouldn't follow him if he was crazy?" Charon asked

As Bren got closure to the unaware encampment Charon and Artemis could see one Enclave soldier who they identified as the leader open up one of the cages and then seeing his eyes widen in horror as he was impaled by the large claw

"Fuck Blast it!" One of the soldiers yelled but before he could fire the other Deathclaw broke out of the cage and beheaded him.

The second and third soldier fired on the Deathclaws but they were too fast for them and like their leader they were impaled. They then turned to Bren and ran towards him.

"BREN!" Charon yelled as he charged out of cover to aid his friend but then they saw the Deathclaw stop in their tracks and look at Bren, like they were awaiting orders.

"Come on guys, they won't hurt us" Bren said to them as the confused duo walked closer.

Bren smirked and pulled out of his pack a small device, it looked like a scanner with a small antenna.

"I got to say this is one of the more useful tools I found on my travels" Bren said

"Why aren't they attacking?" Artemis asked looking at the Deathclaw

"On their head is a mind control device, I don't quite understand how this works but from what I can tell it scrambles the device making them think the Enclave are targets while everyone else is their ally" Bren explained

"Now that is useful" Charon said

"Come on, we got some work to do" Bren said leading them on, the two Deathclaw following him. They came close to the area and the Deathclaw snarled as they saw another one.

"Well this should be interesting" Charon said as the two Deathclaw ran at the wild one but a strange thing happened, the Deathclaw stopped and clutched their head as if they were in immense pain and then the top of their skull's burst open and the bodies fell limp to the ground. The other Deathclaw paused for a moment and then turned its attention to Bren and company

"Looks like they got out of range" Bren said drawing his infiltrator, Artemis just held her hands up and smiled

"Hand me your sword" She said and Bren thought for a moment and handed her the shock sword.

"Bren what are you doing?" Charon thought as he watched Artemis walked towards the creature.

"Come on you bastard, bring it on" She said duel wielding the two blades in her hands. Her eyes seemed narrower and she could be heard snarling, she reminded Bren of Skyler when he became insane.

The Deathclaw let out a roar and charged at Artemis but she stood her ground and swung the blades in a graceful manner, the personal blade of hers hit the Deathclaw's outstretched hand which was about to strike her and cut it right off. The shock sword hit the leg and the combination of the wound and the shock sent the Deathclaw to the ground. It saw Artemis lick her lips and slam her sword into its chest and she let out a roar of victory.

"Bren" Charon said

"Yeah?" Bren replied

"Don't piss off this one, trust me on this one" Charon said

"Agreed" Bren said as he watched Artemis flick the blood off the swords and hand the shock sword back to Bren.

"Too easy" She said and Bren was silent as they continued on their way they soon found a sewer entrance and with a well placed frag grenade they blew up the heavy manhole cover and got inside.

"Alright guys be careful" Bren said looking around the sewers and then he noticed something odd…three Deathclaw bodies were on the opposite side of the wall, and wall itself had cracks like someone slammed a hammer into it.

"What could have done this?" Charon asked

"No idea, I doubt it's human" Artemis said

"In any case we got to keep moving" Bren said as they continued through the underground path ways. They soon came across the bodies of both ghouls and Deathclaws, their bones broken and shattered, what ever did this was efficient and strong and soon after they came into a large hollowed out building, it had many broken floors opening it up and they saw it. They saw four enclave soldiers get defeated by a cloaked figure and Bren realized who it was.

"Jacob" Bren said

The figure turned to them and jumped down from the upper floor to them, he pulled back his hood with his gauntleted hand and they could see the young man looking at them.

"The Lone Wanderer Bren never thought I see you again" Jacob said in his calm tone, he turned to Artemis and then sniffed

"Interesting, you bear a familiar scent, like my brothers of Project Warrior Weapon…and yet…." He said

Artemis glared at him and drew her sword

"Come now, I'm not here to fight you, nor Bren. I came here to train" Jacob said, his tone still calm

"How….how do you know about Warrior Weapon?" Artemis asked, this surprised both Bren and Charon

"I'm the successful of the three who were created from the program, how do you know about it?" Jacob asked

"I'm from Vault 74, I left it, but not before finding out a few things from the Overseer, seems our vault was meant to experiment on infants, altering their DNA for the Warrior Weapon Project. I was sure to destroy the terminals and records after finding that out" Artemis said.

"Ah, so that explains why you have a familiar scent. Impressive" Jacob said

"Jacob…do you know what is going to happen soon?" Bren asked

"Yes, you are leading an army against the Enclave, but my brother Leon isn't someone to go down without a fight" Jacob said to Bren

"Leon?" Bren asked

"Leon is my brother, and the third person to successfully be created by the Warrior Weapon Project. He leads the Enclave" Jacob explained

"So let me ask you this, will you help us?" Bren asked

"Perhaps, if fate wishes for me to help. I prefer not to be involved in human's silly conflicts" Jacob said

Bren grabbed Jacob's shoulder

"You're a human just like us" Bren said to him, he glared at the man who just remained calm and composed

"No…." Jacob said, he slammed Bren to the ground with an over the shoulder throw and held him to the ground.

"I'm not a human, I wasn't born a human, instead I was a monster" He said, despite his words he was calm

"I have no emotions, no anger, no sorrow, and yet no empathy for anyone else" Jacob said let Bren go, he turned to leave but Bren got up

"Jacob, I'm sorry that you feel that way, but we need your help. You are strong and with your skills we can prevent the deaths of hundreds" Bren said

"…I will help you…." Jacob said after thinking for a moment, he ran off leaving the trio alone.

"I'm glad he is on our side" Bren said breaking the silence and with that they continued on the trek.

They soon made it though the maze of hallways and were in the room just before the room that held the arcing Tesla Coil.

"So how do we get it?" Charon asked looking through the door.

"Let me check" Bren said typing on the terminal, he tried to hack the system and after five minutes of typing he swore.

"Fuck….I couldn't get into the system, we are going to have to grab it while it is still on" Bren said

"You're crazy" Artemis said

"We have no choice" Bren said sighing, he opened the door and could feel his hair stand on its end and he took a deep breath and grabbed the device.

He screamed in pain as he struggled to pull it off and what felt like hours, he pulled it off. He was sweating and panting, five seconds of pure pain, but he got it. He got the Tesla Coil.

"Come on guys, let's head back" Bren said.

They made their way back out of the underground lab and soon got back to the Citadel, Paladin Tristan was impressed by this.

"Never thought I see this" Tristan said looking over the device, "Our scribes should have it ready before the battle. Oh by the way Elder Lyon sent for you, I told him I would let you know" He said

"Right" Bren said walking to the war room, to his surprised he saw in his worn out armor, Ashur of the Pitt Raiders.

"Ah Bren, good to see you, I assume you met Paladin Ashur" Lyon said

"I'm not a Paladin Elder Lyon, but we did meet before" Ashur said turning to Bren

"I heard you were finding help against the Enclave, trust me when I say your exploits reached the worker's ears. I came to help in the war" He said

"That's great" Bren said extending his hand to Ashur who shook it.

"Yes, the Pitt will provide weapons, ammunition, raiders, and other supplies to aid in the coming battles. And I will fight along side my former brothers, one last time" Ashur said

"I thank you for the aid Paladin Ashur" Lyon said smiling.

"Come Bren, we have much to discuss and plan, we only have a month before the final battle for the freedom of the Wasteland" Lyon said.

"I know" Bren said following him out of the war room. He knew they only had one shot, and he was going to make it count.


	44. Who Dares to Win? Part 1

AN: I am almost close to finishing, two maybe three more chapters before the end. Read and review, and enjoy.

Bren looked over the Horizon from the citadel walls; a sun rise greeted him on this clear day. It was time. Time to end this war.

"So…today is the day we find out if we change the world for the best" Bren said not turning away from the view.

"It is" A familiar voice said, it was the Mysterious stranger who stood beside Bren on the ledge, he took a puff from his cigarette and tossed it off the sight, letting out a puff of smoke.

"Today will end a chapter of the Wasteland, in what way I can not tell. Today will affect the future of many in the world." The Stranger said

"I know, I won't let my friends down" Bren said

"Bren….your father would be proud" The Stranger said with that Bren turned to him only to find he was gone as always.

"I know he would be…." Bren said turning to walk back down.

Everyone else was preparing for the final battle. Bren put on his Winter Power armor, knowing he would need all the power he could get. He had his infiltrator, magnum and shock sword to aid him, along with a pack of grenades.

Butch wore his Tunnel Snake leather jacket, he slicked his hair back and drew a magnum at the mirror he was looking in, he winked and smiled. He was ready for this.

Jericho was smoking a cigarette sitting on a crate of Aqua Pura, his armor unchanged, his weapon wasn't different either. The only thing he had new was at his belt's side was three plasma grenades.

Fawkes had power armor shin pads and knee pads, and now shoulder armor. He was like a walking tank and he had the strength to boot, on his back his super sledge and in his hands a Gattling laser.

Cross and Rommel were in their power armor, both with powerful weapons, Rommel with the Novasurge while Cross had her laser rifle and super sledge of her own.

Alex was in his Merc outfit with his double barrel shotgun and such. His army of Swamp Folk were going to attack the base from the far north, thanks to a large river they found and another useful tool, they were going to give the Enclave quite a surprise.

Charon carried his shotgun and combat armor with him at his side were some plasma and frag grenade, he said he would follow Bren on this mission and he refused to let him die. He stood beside Bren, not as a ghoul but a fellow human in Bren's eyes.

RL-3 had a full tune up, his flamer fuel refueled, his plasma bolts at ready. He was ready to do what he was designed to do, fight in a war.

Clover was chewing some gun, her dress now replaced with an armored jumpsuit, not a vault suit but a Red Racer jumpsuit, the armor was designed by Moira similar to Bren's original Armored Vault suit. She wasn't going to follow Bren but she would be supporting the troops with her new found sniper skills she developed over the past two months.

Dogmeat ate some dog chow from a bowl in the citadel; Bren opted not to let him follow in the mission because he didn't want him to get hurt so he would be staying along with the minimal troops left at the Citadel for the battle.

Artemis was in her Merc outfit practicing with her blade. She licked her lips and smiled.

"Больше крови пролить для моего голода" She thought in her Russian language. She would be following Bren in the mission for her skills along with RL who had a few upgrades to help him with hacking systems and such.

It was time.

Bren, RL, Charon, and Artemis made their way to their designated point at the White House Square. Each part of the armies were put in key locations, all Bren needed to do was infiltrate the underground Presidential metro and sneak into the Enclave Crawler and destroy it from the inside out.

A few Brotherhood soldiers met Bren and his small group. Next to the manhole cover was a small table with radio transceiver.

"Bren, would you like to say a few words to everyone in the Wasteland?" The man asked

"I will" Bren said removing his helmet and then taking the speaker and clearing his throat

In Megaton the ghoul bartender Gob along with other patrons listened to Bren on the Radio.

In Rivet City people crowded around the radios waiting to hear Bren.

In the Citadel Dr. Li stood next to a radio with Dogmeat waiting for Bren's speech.

Three Dogs smiled from his studio listening in.

In various points of the wasteland people listened to the Radios to hear Bren's final speech before the final battle.

"People of the Wasteland, I am Bren, the Lone Wanderer and protector of this land. I grew up from the Vault not knowing the true horrors of war until I left. It was here I met many people who helped me along the way. Now I'm going to repay the kindness I found here on the surface. Our army consists of many walks of life, Brotherhood, Outcasts, Raiders, Ghouls, Super Mutants, and Wastelander; today we stand united for one ghoul. Today we fight for our freedoms, today we fight for our honor, today we fight for the Wasteland!" Bren said with a stirring voice into the speaker. All over people cheered and Bren set down the speaker. He opened the man cover and smiled.

"Come on guys, we got a wasteland to save" Bren said to his friends who nodded in agreement.

They made their way through the dark tunnels and made it into the large underground subway.

"So this is the Presidential subway" Bren said checking his Pipboy for the map, he looked it over.

"We are going the right way, but we should still be careful" Bren said looking around and keeping a sharp eye on things.

"I'm on the look out" RL said scanning the area they heard something, like wheels moving, Artemis's eyes widened as she recognized the sound.

"find cover, now" She said pulling Charon and Bren away behind a large pillar and then they saw it, a large hulking machine, its head was nothing short of terrifying, it had three legs that it rolled on and it looked at RL, or at least it looked like it was looking at the floating machine.

"What is it?" Bren whispered

"Sentry bots" Artemis hissed

"Identify your self" The Sentry Bot said in a low monotone voice

"RL-3 of the Anchorage Army" RL said

"Does not compute, eliminate threat to President's life" The Sentry Bot said holding its left arm up, it had a missile inside a tube aimed at RL ready to fire.

"Damn it" Bren said moving from cover and firing two shots from his magnum hitting the robot's head.

The Robot turned to Bren

"Mid-Level threat, must eliminate" The Sentry Bot said

Bren didn't know whether to be scared or to be insulted from the comment but he ducked as the Sentry fired the missile at him.

The missile hit the back wall exploding, nearly getting the group but the wall, built to withstand a nuke stood firm, albeit with a scorch mark.

Artemis swung her blade at the bot nearly breaking the blade, the bot slammed his arm into her knocking her to the ground but Bren swung his shock sword hitting it in the head and giving it an electric shock

"System Error Sy-tem error 14u83i93=2923432 ERROR!" The Sentry Bot's head seemed fried and it ceased to function

"Let's hope we don't have to take on any more" Charon said

"Agreed" RL said to the ghoul

They continued through the abandoned subway and soon made it to a large computer system

"Identify yourself" a female robotic voice said

"Huh? Who said that?" Bren asked looking around

"I did, please identify yourself or I will be forced to apply lethal force on you" the voice said, Bren figured it came from the computer.

"Uh I'm apart of the military, Sergeant Bren" Bren said trying to bluff the machine

"I'm sorry I do not have any records of anyone named Bren" The computer said, the overhead turrets whirled to life but then RL said, "See here missy, my commander wishes to pass through, I suggest you do that before I break your hard drive of and use it as a table for my medals"

"Scanning voice recognition, Identity: RL-3 Mr. Gutsy unit, only used by military personal, yes forgive me Sergeant Bren" The computer said

"Right, glad we got that out of the way, uh can I ask who you are?" Bren asked

" I amthe Metro Authority Rapid Governmental Transit System or M.A..T. for short" She explained

"Right M.A..T, we are trying to get to Adam's air force base, is this the right way?" Bren asked

"Correct, however the train to the station can not be accessed at this time" M.A..T explained

"Why not?" Artemis asked annoyed

"an infestation has to be taken care of before the trains can be repaired" M.A..T said

"What kind of infestation?" Charon asked

"One that is emitting no heat signatures but instead radiation, similar to you, I will be sure to make a note not to have the stationed guards attack you" M.A..T said

"That would be very nice" Charon said

"Right, so I guess we will go on ahead and help out, then once its cleared out the trains can be repaired?" Bren asked

"That is correct, the stationed guards will not attack you as you are all marked as friendly" M.A..T said

"Thanks" Bren said as the group walked out another door, what they saw was chaos, Mr. Gutsys and Sentry Bots firing on groups of feral ghouls

"Shoot them now, god will sort out his own" RL said firing plasma bolts at a group of feral ghouls.

Charon charged in firing his shotgun at a glowing green ghoul.

Bren handed Artemis his shock blade and pulled out his infiltrator and started firing bullets at the ghouls while Artemis began to cut up the ghouls like it was a Thanksgiving Molerat.

It didn't take long for the combined efforts of the group and robots to take care of the large group of ghouls. Artemis handed Bren the shock sword and he sheathed it.

"Come on guys lets get onto the train" Bren said leading the group further through the tunnels they came upon the train but they saw a sentry bot facedown on the ground, the back ripped open, near it was a couple of fuses.

"It must have tried to replace the fuses" Bren said after looking around and noticing the fuse box with the blown out fuses.

"But what got it?" Charon asked keeping his shotgun out.

"I don't know" Bren said picking up the fuses and walking to the fuse box, it wasn't too hard to replace the fuses, he remembered back in the vault he would sometimes help Jonas with repairing things….he sighed at the memory but then they heard the machine whirl to life and they smiled.

"Come on we got a base to invade" Artemis said but then they heard something, a gargled snarling and they saw three ghouls, but unlike the other ghouls, these ones had strong looking muscles, they had what looks like combat armor on and they stood there pointing at Bren.

"Reavers" Charon said

"Reavers?" Bren asked

"A Reaver is a ghoul who unlike other ferals, is stronger, smarter, and much more dangerous then any other ghouls" Charon said aiming his gun at them.

"Commander, go on ahead, I will handle this" RL said

"RL you can't" Bren said as the ghouls continued to stay where they were, almost planning something.

"I am only a soldier in your army, and you are the most important person right now, my job is to get you to safety, and I will do that. GO!" RL commanded and Bren nodded, Artemis, Charon, and Bren got onto the train just as the ghouls began to walk forward.

Bren hit the switch and the train started up and sped off.

If RL-3 had a face he would have had a smile on his face

"Bren, forgive me for not being at your side for the final battle, but today, I will make sure you get there" RL said activating something in his system, a spark that would hit a certain fuel tank that held 5 gallons of flame fuel.

"Come and get me you bastards" RL said and the Ghouls leaped at him just as the spark hit the fuel.

RL-3's body went off spreading flames through the area, the ghouls didn't stand a chance as their bodies were instantly incinerated.

Bren looked back and saw the bright red flash of the explosion as it lit up the area then end.

"You were a great soldier RL-3, may you rest in peace" Bren said.

"Amen" Charon said.

Artemis was just silent.

The charred robot body was barely online on the ground, he only had time to say, "I did it commander Bren….I did….it…." and its sensor deactivated.

The train made its stop at the station and they got off

"We got to keep moving" Charon said to Bren who nodded in agreement

"Your right, lets go" Bren said leading the group past some of the statues, they saw a group of Enclave at a post past a corner.

"I got this" Charon said pulling out a plasma grenade, he tossed it around the corner and all they heard was

"What the fu-" Then the green explosion took them all out

"Got to give them credit for the powerful weapons" Charon said, Bren nodded in agreement.

"I prefer frag grenades, gets more blood out of them" She said licking her lips at the thought leaving Bren and Charon silent.

They walked upward and past the doors and they got out from underground and looked around. This was Adams Air force base all right.

Bren looked around and found what he was looking for. A crate marked "Resupply Crate" and he opened it up, inside was the Tesla cannon, the weapon reminded him of the Fatman he used back at GNR, but it seemed to be nothing but pure power.

"This will be interesting" Bren thought pulling out a holotape and putting it into his Pipboy, the voice of Paladin Tristan came through the speaker

"This is Paladin Tristan.  
If you're listening to this, then you've made it through the Presidential Metro and Adams Air Force Base is all that stands in your way.  
Our scouts report that the fire controls for the orbital missile satellite are located in the main tower of the Enclave Mobile Platform.  
The only way into the platform is by way of a ramp that lowers from a watch post the Enclave set up in the old air traffic control tower.  
When you opened the crate it triggered a beacon. We'll pick up the signal and start the assault to cover your entry.  
Good luck, and Godspeed."

"Alright guys time for out part in this battle" Bren said to Artemis and Charon. They could hear the sounds of battle in the distance, his allies were now fighting the Enclave. It was truly the final battle for them.


	45. Who Dares to Win? Part 2

Near the entrance to Adams Airforce Base.

Enclave Troops looked from their positions to see a large army of Brotherhood and Outcast marching to them. They just laughed as the defensive barriers would prevent them from continuing further but then.

"ATTACK!" They heard a large battle cry and smashing through a nearby building came Fawkes and his battalion of super mutants.

"Fuck Super Mutants!" One of them cried out but he was smashed by a large mutant and his super sledge.

Fawkes went over to one of the control booth and just took one look and smashed it with his fist, the barrier came down allowing the Brotherhood troops and Outcast through.

"Come my friends, we storm the Enclave" Fawkes said

"You heard the man…mutant….err" The Brotherhood leader said

"Meta-human" Fawkes said

"Meta-human! Let's take down those Enclave" The Leader said and everyone cheered as they began to storm the base.

Elsewhere in the base a group of Enclave were preparing to Ambush the invaders when they heard something fall at their feet, a frag grenade

"Fuck!" One of them cried out as it went off, it took out some of them but the survivors got up and looked around but couldn't find the one who did it.

Behind some crates Tony and Paulsen were hiding, Tony had a couple of frags in his hand ready to take out some troops.

"Fire in the hole" He said pulling the pins out of both of them and tossing them out from behind cover, he plugged his ears and could hear the sound of pain from the troops as the two explosions finished them off.

"Come on we got more troops to mess with" Tony said as he and Paulsen went through the maze of crates.

Enclave Troops scrambled to meet with the enemy troops near the river but they saw something. It looked like an old Steam Powered Yacht and it was making landfall near a dock.

"What the hell?" One of them asked as it stopped.

"Who goes there?" One of the Enclave soldiers asked as the rest trained their guns on large ship.

Alex stepped out and held his arms up.

"I surrender" He said

"Its just a little brat" One of them said but then they saw a large figure jump off the boat, he was taller then a man, he had blood stained overalls and hair, and in his large club hand, was an equally bloody axe.

"Who dares insult my son?" The man said

"Get em pa" Alex said as he pulled out from the side of the railings, his double barrel shotgun and open fired on one of the enclave soldiers. Cletus on the other hand just literally slammed the enclave troops together.

More swampfolk jumped off the Yacht, carrying axes, shotguns, old hunting rifles. It was an army of morons but they were a strong army nevertheless.

Back with one of the brotherhood squads lead by Rommel and Cross they weaved around buildings and crates and found what they were looking for. The Deathclaw pens.

"Alright let's see if I still remember how to do this" Rommel said typing on a nearby terminal.

"Hurry" Cross said looking around

"I think I saw a couple run in here" an Enclave voice could be heard outside of the building.

"I'm almost there" Rommel said, and he hit two more keys and a small slot opened up and he inserted a disk inside, then he opened the cages just as the three soldiers ran in.

"Freeze!" One of them said but Rommel laughed

"Might want to run" He said, and before the Enclave troopers could response they were attack by three Deathclaws who quickly tore them up despite their armor.

"Thanks goodness we got that scrambler" Rommel said, "now let's move"

"Right" Cross said following him out of the building, the Deathclaw were busy tearing bits of flesh out of the now cut up bodies of the enclave soldiers.

Back with Tony and Paulsen they were running from two Enclave soldiers, they had noticed the duo sneaking around so they fired on them. Right now the two were just barely dodging the laser and plasma bolts.

"This is bad" Tony said to Paulsen who could only nod in agreement as they turned a corner but then they looked up on a nearby building then smiled.

They turned around corner and the two enclave soldiers were ambushed by three figures on the roof, Jericho and two raiders fired on the two enclave soldiers, the soldiers who didn't take much damage from the bullets looked up to see Jericho point at the raider next to him who held a rocket launcher.

The Enclave soldiers were blown up thanks to the rocket and Jericho just smirked, he turned to a figure behind them on the roof and asked

"How are you doing?" He asked

"Good"

The voice was from Clover who held a sniper rifle in her hands and was firing shots at the Enclave soldiers who were still trying to arm themselves for the battle, her skills with the sniper rifle were beyond astounding. In only one month of Rommel teaching her how to use it, she became an ace sniper.

Back with the Swampfolk the small scrapper Zeke had found a missile launcher and was looking it over in the middle of the battle.

"Hey Cletus what you think this is?" He asked his boss

"I don't know, some kind of weapon?" Cletus said

Zeke held it up and bit and fiddle with the side and then a missile shot out hitting a flying Vertibirds, knocking its wing off and causing it to crash into a building, while one of its propellers spun in the air slicing five enclave soldiers vertically.

All Zeke could say was, "I'm keeping this, this is a real boomstick" He said and he found another missile and tried to reload it.

Back with the Brotherhood and Outcasts they were under heavy fire from a whole group of Sentry Bots, they barely could defend themselves behind the cover of crates and enclave sentry points.

"Damn it we need to get rid of those tin cans" One of them said to the other

"Don't worry, we got some help on the way" The other said to his friend.

The Help was in fact Alec who drove his rocket truck to the right position

"Today is a good day to die, but I will not die, instead I will rain hell from above" Alec said altering the angle of the rocket tubes.

"We got trouble ahead, a group of Sentry Bots are pinning our Brotherhood down" A nearby radio said inside the truck

"I got it, time to show them the power of the Red Army!" He called out firing the volley of rockets.

They arced in the air and the Brotherhood and Outcast could only watch in awe as the sentry's were torn asunder from the explosions.

Around another part of the base a group of alien robots were making their way across the barren fields.

An Enclave look out was surprised to see this army and turned to his friend

"What the hell is that?" He asked pointing out ahead

"Looks like a bunch of robots, but nothing I've seen before" The other said

Before they could figure out what to do, the first line of robots fired energy orbs into the wall tearing it down. The Sentry's were shaken by the energy barrage.

"Fuck shoot them down!" He said firing his plasma rifle at the robots but they couldn't stop them all from getting in.

Back with Jericho and Clover, Jericho was firing on troops with his assault rifle while Clover helped pick them off with her sniper.

"Damn, can't believe this plan is working so well" Jericho said jumping down onto a lower crate

"Ok boys take care of Clover, I'm gonna help the troops" Jericho said as the two raiders nodded in agreement as he ran off to support some of the allies.

Butch and three recon clad militia were weaving around crates and buildings, dropping frag mines every few feet.

"This ought to mess with them" Butch said but then he walked into another building only to come face to face with a Deathclaw, one that didn't have an enclave control unit on its head.

"Oh my….god…" Butch said slowly backing away, the Deathclaw snarled, in the confusion of the fighting, the electronic barriers shut off, freeing it and its uncontrolled brothers, now it wanted revenge on the humans who captured it.

"Kill it!" One of the Militia shouted and they fired their pistols at the creature.

"No run!" Butch shouted and he ran firing his magnum at the Deathclaw, the shots only seemed to anger it as it ran at the three militia and with one wide swing of its arm, gutted them.

Butch ran past a crate and jumped over an enclave container, the Deathclaw followed in hot pursuit.

"Fuck what do I do?" Butch thought as he looked back and saw the Deathclaw makes its way closer and closer to Butch, it even jumped over boxes quickly.

Butch turned a corner in the maze of crates and found himself at a long dead end with no way to get up on top of the containers that were the walls. He turned around to see the Deathclaw turn the corner and snarl at Butch and continued to walk forward.

"Looks like this is the end" Butch thought as the Deathclaw came ever closer to striking distance but then the sound of Gun fire filled the air, the Deathclaw screamed in pain and Butch saw a figure jump from the top of a nearby crate and stab a Chinese officer sword into the Deathclaw's back killing it.

"Good thing I got here in time" Jericho said to Butch flicking the blood off the sword.

"Come on lets get back with the troops" Jericho said to Butch but then they saw three armor clad enclave soldiers at the end aiming their plasma fires at the duo

"Fuck!" Jericho swore, he quickly looked around sighed

"Quickly now!" Jericho said and he held his hands together down like a stepping stool and Butch realized what he meant, he jumped on the hands and Jericho's arms went up sending Butch up onto the top of the crate

"GO!" Jericho shouted just as the Enclave fired their plasma at him, the three shots got him in the back and he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Jericho!" Butch cried out

"RUN!" Jericho called back in pain, he turned himself so he was on his back and he saw the Enclave soldiers walked towards him, he figured to finish him with a coup de grace.

Jericho just pulled his last plasma grenade and armed it.

"Fucker's, I'm taking you with me." Jericho said to him and he held up the grenade

"Sorry Bren" was his last thoughts as the grenade went off. Butch barely got away from the blast.

All that was left of Jericho was his combat armor among a pile of green goo.

The fighting continued as Bren, Charon and Artemis snuck around. They could see Multiple Vertibirds flying down to aid the troops, but Bren just held his Tesla cannon ready

"Hope this works" Bren said and he pulled the trigger, the cannon fired a bright blue beam at the Vertibirds and it tore off the wing causing it to crash into other Vertibirds beside it.

"….damn" Was all the three could say.

Bren reload the cannon, according to the included instructions, it burns out the energy chip completely, making it unusable, it is a powerful weapon but a costly one at that.

"Come on guys" Bren said handing the weapon to Artemis who volunteered to carry it.

They trio snuck around the back and could see many groups fighting the Enclave, but no sign of his friends.

"I hope everyone is ok" Bren thought as they found the tower they were looking for, thanks to information provided by Rommel as well as Brotherhood records of the base, they had a good idea where the location of the crawler access is.

"Come on" Bren said as they went up multiple stair ways and into a tower building, they could hear two men talking up above.

"Charon, care to take of this?" Bren asked quietly, Charon nodded his head in answer and slowly went up the stairs.

Inside the booth two Enclave technicians were talking

"And so then he tell her, that's no Super Mutant, that's my wife" One of them said to the other who laughed

"I don't get it, perhaps you need a better punch line" Charon said behind them

"Huh?" They said turning around, Charon punched the first one in the face and then drew his combat knife from his side and jammed it into the second person's chest killing him.

"Wait…I'm just two days from retirement, come on don't kill me" The first one begged while on the ground.

"Let me think about it" Charon said holding his chin like he was in thought

The man reached for his ripper at his side but Charon just drew his shotgun and aimed it at the mans head

"See you in hell" Charon said pulling the trigger.

Bren and Artemis got up and Artemis licked her lips at the sight of the blood.

"Nice going Charon" She said

"Eh, I do what I do" Charon said

Bren went to work typing on the console and soon got it to work

"Alright, the ramp should be out and I can get inside" Bren said finishing up, they looked out the window to see the ramp set itself up for access into the Crawler

"Lets go" Bren said and the trio got out.

The fighting near the crawler was few and far in between, due to the other groups distracting the Enclave, and soon they made it to the side of the large crawler and Bren stopped them at the door.

"Guys, listen, get out of here" Bren said

"What?" Artemis asked

"I need you to help out my friends, I can't risk you getting hurt" Bren said

Charon sighed but understood

"Alright Bren, if that is what you wish, but so help me, if you get killed in there, I'm gonna find you in the after life and beat the ever loving crap out of you" Charon said

"I understand, now go" Bren said and Charon and Artemis with the Tesla Cannon got off the ramp and Bren took one deep breath and went inside.

AN: Sorry if the battle seems a bit off, it was tough getting all the battles in, and its hard to write them all. Anyway one more chapter, in the finale of the Wasteland life.


	46. The Wasteland Life

Bren came face to face with a large blue barrier.

"Damn it" Bren thought as he drew his sword and tapped the barrier, it bounced off at the touch, there was no way to get through this.

"Think Bren think" Bren thought looking around, he saw an electrical panel

"This might work" He thought prying it open using his trench knife that he kept at his side.

It only took him 10 seconds to realize he had no way rewire this but perhaps he could disable it another way.

He punched the circuitry with the knuckles of the knife and it went off in a mild explosion which thankfully was cushioned by his power armor, it felt more like a person swinging a pillow really hard into him. However the barrier was still standing, albeit flickering.

"Hope this works" Bren thought walking through, what he felt was the worse pain he had ever felt in his life, it was like every nerve in his body was on fire, he barely could focus himself enough to jump away.

He landed on the floor, panting in the armor when he looked up to see a scared looking man, unlike the rest of the Enclave, he wore a jump suit, and Bren could see he did not have any Enclave weaponry at his side.

"You ok?" The man asked

Bren got up and nodded

"You got to be more careful around those barriers, they could really hurt you" The man said

"Kinda figured that, listen you might want to get out of here, I'm here to take this place down and I don't want you getting hurt" Bren said, he figured the man wasn't really a part of the Enclave judging by the reaction to a man who clearly wasn't Enclave.

"Wait you must be the Lone Wanderer people have been talking about, Bren was it?" Stiggs asked

Bren reached for his side to the magnum, fearing this man may call for help but he held his hands up

"Wait hear me out, my name is Stiggs, I'm not a part of the Enclave, you see…well they found me, dying of hunger and radiation, they helped me and I've been working on the robots ever since" He explained, Bren pulled his hand away

"But what they are doing is wrong, I may want to repay them but at what cost?" Stiggs asked

"Leave, they are going to fall today, don't fall with them" Bren said

Stiggs smiled but then they heard an alarm

"What the hell is that?" Bren asked

"They know your hear, Squad Stigma is coming" Stiggs explained and Bren drew his infiltrator

"We're gonna need more then that" Stiggs said running to a nearby crate and he pulled out two disk like items

"Plasma mines" He said and Bren smiled from beneath his helmet as he watched Stiggs lay the two of them near the stair way to the level

"Get behind cover" Bren said as the duo went behind some large computer systems and Stiggs went to work on a nearby terminal.

"Keep them busy" Stiggs said as he typed.

Bren watched as the group came down the stairs and he could hear an audible beeping and then he saw a green plasma done engulf them.

All but three fell, and they fired on Bren, the plasma shots missing him from behind the cover. Bren returned fire on them and they continued to trade shots from their positions. But then a rocket whizzed past Bren and hit two of the soldiers. Bren turned around to see a Sentry Bot right next to him.

"Alert. Hostile detected. Lethal force authorized for all units." It said in its monotone voiced and it activated its Gatling gun, firing on the last person behind cover.

"Damn it's the leader" Stiggs said looking over

"Tough guy?" Bren asked

"Almost as tough as the president" Stiggs said

"Right" Bren said as he watched the Sentry Bot roll over to the figure who was behind cover, the next thing both heard was the sound of metal crushing and the bot falling over onto the ground.

Bren and Stiggs could see the leader hold a super sledge, Bren could tell he was angry because he let out what sounded like a battle cry. Bren drew his sword and held it up.

"Bring it on" Bren called out running at the man, the man swung his sledge at Bren who barely had time to move out of the way and he swung his blade at the man who blocked with the back of his armored hand.

"Oh fuck" Bren thought as he got slammed into the side with the super sledge, he dropped the sword and flew into a wall, but thanks to the heavy duty armor, he was alright.

"Damn it" Bren grumbled, the man held his hammer up ready to give Bren an even bigger beating when Bren could see small sparks coming off his armor, Stiggs was firing his 10 mm at the man.

The man turned to the scared mechanic and walked over to him.

Bren took this moment to grab his sword and slam it into the spot between the armor and helmet of the man.

"Never take your eyes away from an opponent" Bren said to the man as he fell.

"Thanks Stiggs" Bren said flicking the blood off.

"No problem" Stiggs said walking to the other electrical outlet box from the barrier Bren came in.

He began to tinker with it and he soon got the barrier to dissipate

"I wish you the best of the luck" He said

"You two" Bren said but before Stiggs left he handed Bren a key card

"Use this on the robot control center, it will disable their targeting systems and make it so they will attack the Enclave" Stiggs explained

"This will be useful" Bren said

"I hope it will be for you" Stiggs said leaving the crawler.

"Time to light this candle" Bren thought walking up the stairs the Stigma squad came down, he hoped not to meet up with any more Enclave but he knew that was as likely as Fawkes learning to hack computers.

"Better keep going" Bren thought trying to keep a low profile, he made his way through hallways, thankfully he avoided Enclave patrols until he made it up onto a platform and looked down, he saw a large cage full of sleeping deathclaw, ones with brain control units.

"Well isn't this interesting" Bren thought looking around, he saw the nearby controls and got to work hacking them. He smiled because this time he got it right.

"Unlocking the cages right now" Bren thought hitting the key, the barrier's dissipated with a buzz and the deathclaw awoke, now alert of their new found freedom they looked around and then let out a cry for battle.

"Oh god they're free!" One of the Enclave scientist shouted as the deathclaw ran towards him, Bren watched as his hazmat suit was no match for the armor slicing claws.

"Shoot them!" Another voice was heard and Bren could see enclave soldiers and scientists preparing to fight back.

"Perfect" Bren thought walking along the upper level, he figured he find the robot control unit and mess with it for a bit.

The sound of Enclave fighting the deathclaw filled the air, and because everyone's attention was focused on the situation at hand, no one noticed Bren go through multiple doors and find the Mainframe

"Alright insert the key card" Bren said to himself, the machine whirled

"Welcome Stiggs, enter a command" The Screen said

Bren typed in a few commands and he smiled when he disable the targeting parameters, the problem was that he couldn't make it so the robots would only target the Enclave, it would only be they attack anything that moves.

"I better be careful" Bren thought turning around, only to come face to optic sensor with an Enclave Mr. Gutsy

"Well well, looks like I found a bastard to send to hell" Mr. Gutsy said activating its flame thrower, Bren barely had time to dodge the stream of hot death coming at him and he swung his sword at the side of the machine and with the electric shock, disabled it.

"Like I said, better be careful" Bren thought sheathing his sword. He looked around, he could see the dead bodies of many Enclave, and one deathclaw on the level below, he assumed that the other ones went deeper into the base searching for prey, thank god he still carried the scrambler or this infiltration mission would be a hell of a lot worse.

Bren looked around and continued forward through the base and he couldn't help but admire the military marvel, if the Enclave were good, they could have used this place as a new place to live in, similar to Rivet City, only mobile and more fortified, but alas Bren had no choice but to make sure it is destroyed.

He walked through the hallways, occasionally looking around to make sure he isn't being followed or he doesn't walk into an ambush or a fight between Enclave and Machine, so far he had seen signs of Enclave personally getting mowed down by their former allies.

Bren went to an upper level and soon found himself outside on the roof of the large crawler, he could see down below people fighting, machine, deathclaw, mutant, human, it was chaos on the battlefield.

"I got to keep moving" Bren muttered

"Going somewhere?" A voice asked

Bren turned to the voice and he saw a figure in a familiar hooded cloak, but the figure pulled the hood back, and it wasn't Jacob

"I am the President, Leon" The man said, his face devoid of emotions, and at his side a sheathed sword. Bren also figured he would have the same slim power armor like the late Skyler and Jacob.

"So you're Eden's Replacement huh" Bren said keeping his hand close to his side, ready to draw his sword at a moment's notice.

"Come now, can't we talk, or do you wish to die sooner?" Leon asked

"I do have a question, why are you trying to take over the Wasteland?" Bren asked

"Didn't that washed up pile of bolts tell you? To restore the glory of America" Leon said, his tone slightly annoyed

"Wait you knew Eden was a computer?" Bren said

"You think I would become President without finding out, Augustus Autumn's Intel was most useful, of course my other Intel has helped. Let me review what happened to you so far, you Lone Wanderer" Leon said

"First you came from the Wasteland but your father, James was it, yes it was, took you to Vault 101 where you came out at age 19. Yes you traveled the Wasteland with a former Brotherhood of Steel and met up with many allies, including the raider Jericho, that ghoul Charon, I believe a whore named Clover" Leon said and Bren glared at him causing Leon to smirk a bit

"As well as another Vault member Birch, no Butch. You even gained an ally from a Super Mutant, for that I am impressed, but nevertheless I must kill you" Leon said

"And after you seen so many things, Point Lookout, the Pitt, you have faced many challenges and yet survived, you even defeated my brother Skyler" Leon said and at those words Bren's eyes widened in horror from behind his helmet.

"Yes I know your exploits, I know your story, and today that story ends right now!" Leon shouted, he drew his sword and ran at Bren so fast he had no time to dodge, the sword with the deathclaw's claw fused at the tip of the blade went right through Bren's armor and cybernetic right arm.

"Hmm automail, that explains how you came out of that fight with your limbs intact" Leon said and Bren retaliated with a power armored supported back hand forcing Leon back along with him pulling out his blade.

Bren drew his magnum with his left hand and fired three times at Leon but two of his shots missed and the third just bounced off his unseen armor. Bren was right about him having the slim power armor.

"Come now, do you really think I would face you without some armor, I'm not a moronic President like my predecessors" Leon said, he may have been mocking Bren but his tone was still the same calm tempo.

"Fuck" Bren swore and he ran across the roof and heading to the next area

"So the hunt begins, as Skyler said 'time for a game of Deathclaw and molerat' " Leon said and with that he jumped onto a nearby pipe and followed Bren in hot pursuit

Bren found the door to the next area inside what looked like a military checkpoint and he opened the door quickly and continued through

"Fuck fuck fuck…." Bren thought as he tried to escape from this man but he looked back and saw him following.

"Damn it" Bren swore as he ran up the stairs, he knew Leon was faster and was catching up.

"You're not much prey, in this hunt" Leon said jumping on the railings to railings to get higher and he was face to face with Bren smirking.

"Any last words?" Leon said holding his sword up

"Leave him alone brother" a calm and familiar voice sounded and Leon turned his head only to be punched in the face by an unarmored fist, he fell down two stories but landed on his feet and Bren saw the cloaked Jacob Vaughton

"Jacob!" Bren said gasping for breath

"The controls are that way" Jacob said pointing further ahead

"I've taken care of the guards, I will take care of Leon" Jacob said holding his right fist up, it had his personal gauntlet of metal and domed knuckles

"Be careful" Bren said to him and Jacob just nodded

"I have a special weapon for him" Jacob said jumping down onto his brother.

Bren ran on ahead and Jacob sent an elbowing shove into Leon sending him out of the door back outside

Leon glared at his brother

"You dare fight me, the President, and your brother?" He called out holding his blade up

"Yes, because I know you would only corrupt this land if I stand idly by" Jacob said going in a martial arts stance.

Both sides looked at each other and Leon made the first move by sending a thrust at Jacob who side stepped and back handed Leon in the face smashing him even further out onto the roof

Leon wiped away some of his blood that was leaking from his mouth and he spat more out.

"Well big brother, it would seem I need to take this seriously" Leon said and with that he removed his cloak revealing his slim power armor, his features on his face seemed to become more gaunt and shallow, he snarled at Jacob

"Going feral huh, unlike you and Skyler, I don't need to go feral" Jacob said slipping his left hand beneath his cloak

"Think you can face me with one hand at your side?" Leon asked, his voice more raspy, he was like Skyler only his eyes were not changed, just his face and his stance was more arched forward

"Something like that" Jacob said preparing himself.

Bren was at the control panel typing

"Come on come on" Bren said, his helmet removed so he could see the screen better, he was furiously typing, trying to get the Satellite in the sky to get the right target. Hopefully he could get it done in time, time was running out for the people in the battle.

Leon charged at his brother, swinging his sword wildly while Jacob continued to dodge and then Leon roared and sent a thrust into Jacob's right shoulder, with the blade making contact

"I have you now Jacob!" Leon snarled but Jacob answered with his own blow

Jacob's left hand had the gauntlet of his late brother Skyler, and it was piercing the chest of Leon

"No my brother, I had you where I wanted you" Jacob said kicking Leon back and pulling the sword out

Leon coughed up blood as he tried to crawl away from Jacob

"Bren should be done now, knowing him, he will make the right choice. As for you, you can end your life on the foundation of your "Empire" Jacob said, and with that he ran and jumped off the Crawler.

"DAMN YOU!" Leon called out to his brother, he knew he lost this battle.

Bren was finished typing and he imputed the missile command to target the crawler…it was over….finally over. But he had no time to escape….this was why he didn't want his friends along, he knew this was the end for him.

He went out another door, one marked Exit, he clutched his shoulder and saw he was on a platform, he smiled from beneath his helmet, at least he could watch the fireworks…but then he saw something, a Vertibird, one going straight for him

"Damn it" Bren thought but then he saw a door open and a ladder fall down

"BREN JUMP!" He heard, it was a familiar voice, it was Sarah Lyons

Bren ran, he ran and he jumped grabbing the ladder just as the first missile hit the crawler, he turned his head in time to see the Crawler explode right before his eyes in an inferno of fire, but he smiled, they won, they finally won….

It shows a panning view of the Wasteland as the Narrator narrates

_In the process of one year, the Enclave were defeated. Thanks to the heroic effort of Bren and his friends the war for the Wasteland's freedom was finally over._

_There was much celebration throughout the D.C. Ruins, and many people rejoiced, but soon people's stories began to change._

_Thanks to Bren's help, the DJ Three Dogs' radio signal was able to reach far beyond the D.C. Ruins, giving hope to those who needed it._

_Bren also helped unify the Brotherhood and the Outcasts, they fought together under one goal and together decided to work as one, as they should have in the beginning._

_Thanks to the new leadership of Amata, trade between Vault 101 and the rest of the world allowed both sides to thrive with new ideas, technology and resources._

_The Wasteland's water was purified thanks to Bren and his father, if it wasn't for the hard work and sacrifice, the wasteland would be a hellish land in which no one could survive._

_The sacrifices of those who fell were to be remembered, a memorial for the Robot RL-3, the former Raider Jericho, and the man who helped Bren in the beginning, Rick was created outside of the Megaton, thanks to their help, their goal for a peaceful land to live in was accomplished._

_Fawkes became the leader of the Super Mutant, and left Bren's group to keep them in control, and under his rule, the mutant attacks were few and far between. _

_Butch and Charon remained at Bren's side, knowing no other friend who they would be willing to cast their lives out for._

_The Swamp folk returned home, leaving Alex under the care of Bren, they knew he would be happy where he was, and thanks to the trade of Punga fruit between areas, the Wasteland gained a new food source and new allies._

_The bounty hunter Artemis left Bren's group, saying she would see the US, her fate is unknown but perhaps she would affect America._

_Rommel Autumn and the Star Paladin Cross decided to marry, and left for West to Nevada, to leave their former lives, and to help those in need._

_The people living in the space ship left the Earth's orbit, they said their goodbyes to Bren and his world and decided to travel to others, perhaps to meet others and learn their ways._

_The Pitt, thanks to Bren's choice, gained enough medical research to cure the plague, and in years to come, the Pitt would become independent of its slavery. _

_The warrior Jacob Vaughton was never seen again after the events that took place, but some rumors were whispered of a man who would destroy any Enclave he comes across._

_Bren and Clover soon became married, with Clover learning to become a free will. Bren and Clover were happy together in this world, a land without war._

The camera pans to the Mysterious stranger who was sitting on an old brick wall, smoking cigarette and he spoke

"_But war, war never changes…." _

The End

AN: Thank you for following my story, guys…I'm so happy to have finished this. But this world isn't over yet. I will create the story of New Vegas, but not for months after it comes out. I hope you guys follow me again, and I hope to entertain you with it. Until we meet again…goodbye.


End file.
